The readings for today’s Mass seem to be full of contradictions.
In the first reading, Isaiah describes how people of all the nations will be drawn to the Lord. Some will even be chosen as priests and levites for the service of the Lord. The responsorial Psalm joins together Psalm 117, a call for all the nations to praise and glorify God, with Jesus’ parting words from the end of Mark’s Gospel, “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.”
This wide, expansive vision of God’s people, and the commission from Jesus himself to actively evangelize seem to provide a simple answer to the disciples’ question, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
Jesus could have quoted Isaiah and Psalm 117 and simply answered, “Everyone is called to salvation!” But Jesus doesn’t respond that way. The question is impersonal, about numbers. “What about them? How many?” Jesus’ response is personal. “What about you?”
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate.”
The fact is, everyone who is saved is saved by faith in Jesus Christ. He alone is the door, the gate, the way to the Father. “No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)
The disciples’ question avoids the most important question, the only one that really matters: How is my relationship with Jesus Christ? This is the only question that matters for anyone of any nation on the way to salvation. It is also the substance and content of the Gospel that Jesus sends us to proclaim.
To evangelize – to “tell the Good News” – is not only to share information. It is to introduce others to Jesus Christ. The primary way we do this is by the very way we live our lives. “The world will know you are my disciples by the love you have for one another.” (John 13:35)
If my love for Christ is weak, how can it be strengthened? The sacraments are the primary means Jesus gives us to grow in union with him. If my love for neighbor is faltering, how can my relationship with Jesus kindle the fire of love in my heart?
Your personal walk with Jesus Christ – and mine – is not in conflict with the universal mission of the Church. Jesus takes what seemed a contradiction and joins them into one. The narrow way and the universal call to salvation. Love of God and love of neighbor. Only with both of these together can we fulfill the mission we have received, to proclaim to all the nations God’s faithful, enduring love in Jesus Christ.
-Fr. Tom
