“I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them.” Is 66,18

Dear parishioners,

Isaiah foretold the gathering of the nations, and Jesus confirmed it: “People will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the Kingdom of God.” Granted, it’s going to be messy. Some who appeared to be last will be first, and some who appeared to be first will be last. The sign promised by Isaiah has been set. It is Jesus himself, standing for all ages as our link to the Father, and to the Kingdom. 

This being said, today’s gospel paints a very dark, grim picture of our accession into the Kingdom. It looks very much as though salvation will be a mad desperate rush by a bunch of people to get through the same narrow door. Some will make it through, and some won’t. A very dramatic, terrible scene. Of course, this gospel has to be read with great care. Jesus’ point is very serious, but it’s not what it seems to be at first sight. His point is simply that you can’t rely on the label that you wear as your ticket to the Kingdom. You can’t assume that you have a guaranteed place in the Kingdom because you’re nominally a Jew or a Christian. You have to have credibly tried to walk the walk. You have to have sought to imitate the God in whom you claim to believe. You have to have wanted to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect, to be merciful, as Jesus was merciful on behalf of the Father.

I say “you have to have tried”, “you have to have sought”, “you have to have wanted”, because in the human condition, consistently succeeding in imitation of the Father and of the Son is just not in the cards. God loves us for wanting, for trying, for seeking to be like him. He knows the reasons why we fail so often. Actual results don’t interest him as much as the longing of our hearts. It is that longing that will be redeemed and satisfied, on the last day.

My nephew of just 43 years of age passed away this week of a malignant brain tumor. I feel as though someone has punched me in the stomach. I grieve for his spouse, his parents, his siblings, all those who loved him so much because he made their lives better, happier. I grieve for all those people, especially for the ones who might not have the consolation of Christian faith and hope. And I pray especially for them. But I’m not worried for a minute as to my nephew’s destiny. I say this even though he wasn’t a particularly religious person. He wasn’t a religious person, but he lived his short life in remarkably powerful imitation of the goodness of God. He generously embraced and lived each day of his life to the full, and changed for the better the life of every single person he ever met. He said a resounding “yes” to the life that God gave him. God takes that “yes” as a “yes” to his offer of life in abundance. I am confident that just as he did for the mother of the deceased young man at Nain, Jesus will sweep my nephew up on the last day and give him back, forever alive, to my sister and her husband.

So I’m at peace, relative to my nephew. My main concern is for those who mourn. I pray for the gift of Christian faith and hope for them all, in the face of Gaetan’s passing away. I pray for all people, for the grace of an abiding, generous longing to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. On the last day, it’s all that will matter.

By the grace of God, may we all embrace life, say “yes” to life, such as it is. God’s takes that “yes” as a “yes” to his offer of life in abundance. I have placed all my hope in this conviction.

God bless, Fr. Guy