Note: A few days ago I gave a reflection on Salvation at a parish "Life in the Spirit" Seminar. I'd given the talk on several previous occasions but made quite a few changes this year. Anyway, my talk follows. And a warning, the reflection is long, a half-hour long, so no snoozing. (Please pardon any typos. No time to proofread today.)
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Praise God! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
When Deacon Dick Stevens accosted me and asked me to speak at this Life in the Spirit Seminar, I said, “Well…Okay. But what do I have to do?” His response? “Talk about ‘Salvation.’”
My first thought? “Well, that’s a nice concise, well-defined topic
– let’s see, our sole reason for being, the entirety of our human existence.“
Then he said something like, “No more than 30 minutes.” Of course, it was more than month away, so I really didn’t think much about it. But a few days ago, I realized time was running out. Then I remembered speaking on salvation at one of these seminars some years ago.
Sadly, though, my home PC died a while back and I lost a lot of my homilies and talks, including my earlier talks on salvation. All I could find was a brief outline. So, I had no choice and turned to the Holy Spirit, praying for inspiration. I figure if anyone can give us the Word of Salvation He can.
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I’ll begin with a couple of questions.
Do you believe that God will save everyone?
OK, let me rephrase it.
Do you believe God can save everyone?
Ah, that’s better.
After all, we can’t deny that all things are possible for God.
After all, we pray for that all the time, don’t we?
At the conclusion of yesterday’s Mass, Fr. Glen prayed the “Prayer
after Communion.” Yet, how often do we really pay attention to the words?
Here’s what he prayed in our name:
O God, who
have willed that we be partakers
in the one Bread and the one Chalice,
grant us, we pray, so to live
that, made one in Christ,
we may joyfully bear fruit
for the salvation of the world.
Through Christ our Lord.
And we all responded with, “Amen.”
Don’t you just love that?
“…that…we may joyfully bear fruit for the salvation of the world.”
And yet, how many of us look at the world joyfully, especially today, and want God to save everyone? Do any of you pray the Rosary? Recall that little prayer we say after each decade? Join me…
“Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the
fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy
mercy.”
“Lead all souls to heaven…” Yep, we pray for that, too, don’t we? The irony here is that most Christians really don’t believe that could ever happen…sort of an “OK, God, yeah, You can do it; but You won’t.” If we really think that way, why do we pray for it?
You see, we should believe that God will find a way to bring everyone to salvation. Wouldn’t that be wonderful. Will He really do that? I haven’t a clue, simply because I’m not God. We do, however, know that God wants this. As St. Peter reminded us:
“The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard ‘delay,’ but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” [2 Pt 3:9]
And Paul, too, writing to Timothy, tells us:
“This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” [1 Tim 2:3-4]
I find it interesting that Peter joins salvation with coming to “repentance”, while Paul connects salvation with coming to “knowledge of the truth.” But I really think they’re the same thing. For Paul, the overwhelming truth about humanity is that we are sinners. And what do sinners need? Exactly what Peter says, “Repentance.”
I begin with this just to remind you (and me) that God is infinitely more powerful than we could ever imagine. You and I, trapped in time and space, too often place our God in a similar box. We know He creates, redeems, forgives, loves…yes, His greatness, His power, His love…it’s all far beyond our comprehension.
God created us in His image and likeness, but that’s so very hard to live up to. How can we? So we instead create God into our image and turn Him into a big version of ourselves. And then we read the Gospels and all those passages, the words of Jesus, that seem to tell us a lot of folks won’t be saved.
How did the risen Jesus put it to the Apostles?
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned” [Mk 16:16]
That seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? And Jesus says similar things elsewhere in the Gospels. One thing we know for sure, again because Jesus told us:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father except through me” [Jn 14:6].
And so, Jesus is the means of salvation. Does that eliminate all but Christians? What’s it all mean? For me it means two things:
1. I
don’t know the mind of God, so all I can do is struggle to do as He tells us: “Repent,
and believe in the Gospel.”
Repentance and faith.
2. He
wants all to be saved, so I must do what ever I can to lead others to the
saving grace the Holy Spirit will shower on anyone who comes to Jesus, through
Him.
In truth, when we get right down to the ditty-gritty, it means
something different to each one of us. You and I are each on a unique journey to salvation.
Let me begin by describing my own journey to salvation, to life in the Spirit, a journey that began long ago, but reached its peak when I married Diane. Dear Diane, brought up a Southern Baptist, had spent time among the Methodists, and during her college years settled in with the Pentecostals. It was then that she experienced a Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
By the time we married, she had converted to Catholicism. When I proposed to her, she asked, "You know, I speak in tongues...does that bother you?"
A few years later, living in Monterey, California, she encouraged me to attend a Life in the Spirit Seminar put on by our parish’s charismatic prayer group. And not long after that I experienced my own vivid Baptism in the Spirit, an event that completely changed me and ultimately led me to the diaconate.
Anyway,
about five years after this, I guess it was about 45 years ago, Diane and I and
three of our little ones (I think she was pregnant with Brendan, number four) were
enjoying a day at the San Diego Zoo when we were approached by a couple of
teens, a boy and a girl.
They were members of a strange cult, popular in Southern California at the time. As I recall, they called themselves the “Children of God”. They handed me one of their tracts and then the boy asked me, “Are you saved?”
I simply replied, “Yes, I hope so, but I’m still
working on it.”
I don’t think they knew what to make of that
response, and so the girl said, “If you’re saved, you’re saved. That’s all
there is to it.”
This, of course, was a challenge, so told them I was just
relying on the Holy Spirit and following St. Paul‘s advice to the Philippians:
“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling” [Phil
2:12].
I was used to coming to the Spirit for help, so I did, and He led me to Jesus’ words in Luke
"For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say” [Lk 12:12]
and
again in John:
"He will teach
you everything…” [Jn 14:26]
In effect the Holy Spirit told me not to be consumed
by worry. And one day in prayer I heard these words, heard them just as clearly
you’re hearing my words now:
“…Stay close to me,” he said.
Anyway, the
boy couldn’t help himself and said, “Well, Paul was wrong. Jesus told us not to
fear.” They then scooted off to accost someone else.
Of course, Paul wasn’t wrong; they were. St. Paul and Jesus were speaking of two very different fears. Paul wasn’t speaking of the servile fear of the slave, or the fear of punishment. He was speaking, instead, of a reverential fear that moves us to do God’s will because of our love for Him.
It’s that miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit, the “fear of the Lord” that is a true reflection of reality. It’s a sense of reverence and awe at the majesty of God and a healthy revulsion at the very thought of sinning against Him. But the Incarnation alters things a bit. By becoming one of us Jesus narrows the vast gulf between God and us. He becomes our brother.
In Scripture we’re told not to fear again and again. But it’s a different kind of fear: a fear of the things of this world. This is the fear we must abandon, for it keeps us from a personal and trusting relationship with Jesus Christ. If we’re afraid of the world, how can we trust in Jesus? And so many today are afraid. Let me give you an example.
On the evening of September 11, 2001, I had an appointment to bless a parishioner’s home. We were personal friends. When I arrived John asked me to speak with his wife, who wouldn’t leave the kitchen. The events of that day had crippled her with fear, the wrong kind, a fear of the world and its evils. Her fear was almost paralytic. We talked and prayed and turned to God’s Word, and her fears eased a bit. But it was weeks before she left her house and even went to church.
We’ve all experienced fear to some extent; it’s part of the human condition. As a Navy pilot in wartime, I encountered my share of scary situations, times when fear could easily rise up and take control. Of course, one good thing about being a pilot in bad times is that you're so busy, just trying to keep the aircraft flying and staying alive. I really didn’t have time to fear. That came later.
But I always turned to the Holy Spirit in trust, and told Him, “It’s yours, guide me, lead me.” And do you know something? He always did.
But what does all this talk about fear have to do with our salvation? Actually, quite a lot. My mom and dad ran a little Bible Study of sorts every Saturday morning. Mt dad, the colonel, called them "staff meetings." At one of those sessions, Mom asked us: “How do you get to heaven?”
I was probably 10 or 11. My older brother and I had never thought much about this, so we gave rather standard answers: obey the commandments; go to Church on Sunday; give part of our allowance to the Church. I think I added, “Don’t pick on your little brother.” All practical answers, but not very useful. We really hadn’t a clue.
Mom finally said, “Boys, you can’t earn your way to
heaven. That’s not how it works.”
She opened our family Bible and turned to Luke’s
Gospel, and read this passage from chapter 23:
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
I’ve always found this to be one of the more
fascinating passages in the Gospels.
Two criminals. Were they thieves or murderers? We
don’t know. Luke simply says they were criminals and apparently they believed
they deserved their punishment.
The first simply mocked Jesus: If you’re the Messiah, save yourself and us.
Did he believe Jesus was the Messiah? No, not likely.
The other criminal has a name, Dismas. Actually, his name appears in an apocryphal books, among them, The Gospel of Nicodemus and it seemed to stick. And so, we’ll use it. Dismas utters only three sentences, but three remarkable sentences. The first:
“Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same
condemnation?
In responding to the other criminal, he
simultaneously responds to the Holy Spirit who has blessed him here, in his
last moments of life, with a gift: fear of the Lord.
Yes, the Spirit is within him, the indwelling that Paul tells us will lead us to salvation. Dismas then makes an act of contrition, an act of true repentance
“…we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received
corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Indeed, Dismas confesses -- we have sinned and are
receiving a just, earthy punishment -- but this Jesus, He is no criminal, for He is
something much greater than any of us.
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
And here Dismas knows he’s been forgiven, even before Jesus says a word`. You see, the Spirit has also given him the gift of faith. He knows that Jesus Christ is King and redeemer of the world. And he simply asks for salvation.
Jesus’ reply is brief, dramatic, all-encompassing,
a divine, on-the-spot canonization:
“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
There is some conflict about this statement: the
placement of the comma before or after “today.” But I prefer the way it's stated above.
Do you see the process here, what leads Jesus to call Dismas to salvation? Faith, acceptance of our sinfulness, true repentance, love of God…It’s really all of one piece, wrapped up in those three theological virtues of faith, hope and love.
Faith, we are told is a gift, a gratuitous gift; and I think we can all accept this, since in our sinfulness we certainly don’t deserve any gifts. But this is where the Holy Spirit steps in, for He is the gift-giver. He’s the source of that desire, that need for God, that movement within us, which opens us to the gift.
He rends our hearts; He tears open the human heart so Father and Son can dwell there. Speaking with the twelve the night before He died, Jesus told them:
“Whoever loves me
will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and
make our dwelling with him” [Jn
14:23].
This
indwelling is the work of the Holy Spirit, for Jesus had already told the
apostles:
“The Father…will
give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth…it remains
with you, and will be in you” [Jn
14:16-17].
Yes, the Spirit, the Advocate, does God’s work in the world, and He does God’s work in each of us. I sometimes refer to the Holy Spirit as God’s Workhorse. It’s just a metaphor. He does God’s work in the world, the behind-the-scenes manifestation of God’s Presence.
Every Sunday, we come together and proclaim the
Nicene Creed aloud, confirming the totality of our faith. And in doing so we
utter those words:
“I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life…”
What life? Well, the Creed doesn’t qualify it, or give exceptions. The Holy Spirit is the giver of all life. He is the giver of our bodily, earthly, material life and the giver of eternal life. He stands abreast that path to salvation, calling us, directing us.
And so, with this in mind, let’s return to Dismas. Filled with the Spirit, and with the hope He offers, he’s moved to confess to Jesus. As my mother used to say, “Faith fuels our hope.” And hope moves us, drives us, despite our fears, despite everything the world throws at us.
Did Dismas fear? Well, fear of death might be there, but I think that was now behind him. There he was surrounded by those who despised him. And yet it was all overshadowed, crushed by the love of Jesus from the Cross. Only Jesus showed him love.
Because he had accepted the Spirit’s gift of faith,
a supernatural gift that dissolves all fear, that instills hope, a gift that
calls us to trust, that calls us to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
It was through his acceptance of that gift that the Holy Spirit moved Dismas to repentance, gave him hope, allowed him to accept the forgiveness Jesus offered and revealed to him the divine person of Jesus...one divine gift after another, all leading to salvation.
Do you see what happened here? The Spirit revealed several things to Dismas:
- He is a sinner, but forgiveness is available to him; he need only repent;
- The Lord, Jesus
Christ, is the very source of forgiveness;
- His hope is real,
forgiveness is his. Salvation awaits.
He believes, he repents, he’s forgiven, he loves,
and he is saved.
Through this simple process of faith, repentance,
forgiveness, and love Jesus offers Dismas the gift of salvation:
“…today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Salvation is his eternal reward. But that’s not all. There’s also a temporal reward. He adds the word, “today.” And so, today it happens for you, today here in this world…yes, today becomes an eternal day in paradise.
That’s what I learned from my mom when I was
probably 11 years old.
Now, some Christians consider salvation a one-time
experience in the life of the Christian – that we need only accept Jesus in
faith as our Lord and Savior and we are saved…no matter what
Such a teaching, however, ignores the reality of human life, of human nature itself. It also ignores a lot of what Jesus told us. You see, sad as it is, you and I remain sinners, constantly in need of repentance and forgiveness, called to love until our last breath, called, as Paul reminds us, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Salvation is a gift, one demanding more than intellectual and emotional acceptance. It demands continual acceptance, confronting us with a choice: We can reject the gift, turn away from God, either out of fear of the worldly consequences, or out of despair because of the magnitude of our sinfulness. Or we can accept the gift and turn to Him in love.
This demands a radical change, an abandonment of the life that precedes it. Once again Dismas shows us the way. Dismas ignores the other criminal, he who mocks God, the one Satan used to turn him from Jesus, and though his sins are many, he doesn’t despair.
The Spirit had revealed to him what Jesus had taught
his disciples when He referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd:
“I am the gate. Whoever
enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they
might have life and have it more abundantly” [Jn 10:9-10].
Understanding this, Dismas turns to Jesus in complete trust, just as sheep trust their shepherd. Given abundant life, he offers the only thing he can: his faith and his love. He’s made a decision to change, to accept God’s gift of forgiveness, to accept with a humility that most of us can only imagine.
You see, brothers and sisters, salvation demands a living faith. And the path to salvation is the path of discipleship. The call of the disciple is to follow Jesus. Dismas, then, becomes the ultimate disciple, who follows Jesus right through the gates of heaven.
Let me add another saint who goes against the grain, and reminds me of St. Dismas, another man most of us would never expect to be a canonized saint.
His name is Andries (Andrew) Wouters, and I'd never heard of him until a few months ago. A Benedictine monk gave me his prayer card and a few days later I was told by my doctor I'd need surgery for a pesky hernia.
Anyway, I decided to do a little research and discovered that Wouters, born in the Netherlands in 1542, was ordained a priest but lived a scandalous life. A known womanizer, he was known to have fathered several children with different women.
During the Dutch revolt against the Spanish, a Calvinist rebel group set themselves up to battle the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. In June 1572, the town of Gorkum fell to the Calvinists and the rebels captured nine Franciscan friars, two lay brothers, along with several parish priests, including Wouters.
Imprisoned at Gorkum from 26 June to 6 July 1572, the nineteen were moved to Brielle, arriving on 8 July. Ordered to abandon their belief in Transubstantiation, and Papal supremacy, all refused to renounce the faith. All 19 martyrs, hanged that July from the roof of a turf-shed.
Wouters' last words were remarkable: "Fornicator I always was; heretic I never was.” He had confessed his sins to one of the other priests.
A century after their deaths, after many miracles attributed to their intercession, particularly the curing of hernias, the 19 martyrs were beatified. They were canonized in 1867 by Pope Pius IX. Their relics are in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Brussels, Belgium.
What a wonderful example to all those plagued by their earlier sins. St. Andrew Wouters, pray for us. When the evil one reminds us of past failings, help us to recall that Christ has already conquered sin and death, and that we only need to remain in Him to be saved.
Salvation is a gift of joy. It’s the Good News, given to us and received by us. I’m pretty sure Deacon Dick will agree with me. At Mass when I go to the ambo to proclaim the Gospel or preach, and look up at the thousand faces before me, I often have to search for a happy face.
Here I am about to proclaim the Good News and it looks as if they’ve all just received bad news. The Good News is salvation itself, and we must live its acceptance as joyful Christians. How can there be any other kind of Christian? And from what source do we receive this additional gift of joy? St. Paul reveals it, as he completes his letter to the Romans:
“May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” [Rom 15:13]
That certainly sums it all up, doesn’t it?
And how blessed we are today…because we have the Church, her sacraments, and her graces. When we decide to turn to God in trust, we too are saved: by rejecting Satan and sin; by praying in and with the Holy Spirit and being open to His movement in our lives; by active participation in the Church’s sacramental life; and by extending God’s love to all.
These are no less than the promises that define
our sacramental Baptism.
Let me leave you tonight with the words of St.
Jude, in perhaps the least read little book of the New Testament, when he calls
us to:
“Pray
in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” [Jude 20-21].
God love you all.
