Be Saved

April 29, 2008

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church

Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved." Acts 16: 30-31

And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. John 16:8-11

Piety

The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

Study

"Have you been saved yet?" Paul and Silas were literally saved from the imprisonment and torture of the Romans. But this question has different connotations in John's Gospel. From the first chapter all the way through, John wants us to understand the difference between just being physically born into the world as opposed to being born in the eyes of God for a special role in the world. Jesus sets up the expectation of the Holy Spirit in chapters one through three of John's Gospel. Now, he expounds upon that promise.

Back in college, this question ("Have you been saved yet?") was one that Catholics in North Carolina (a heavily Protestant state) would face from "Born Again" Christians. They were looking to see if we had accepted Jesus as our savior. This always led me to the dilemma about faith and action. If all you need to be saved is faith, then would Jesus have started a Church which did not require us to help the poor and others? Why would he even need to refer to Isaiah and the Nazareth manifesto to bring peace to the troubled?

Before jumping ahead to that issue, let's first consider what Jesus is promising today. As the notes to the New American Bible explain, these verses describe the "forensic character of the Paraclete's role: in the forum of the disciples' conscience he prosecutes the world. He leads believers to see (a) that the basic sin was and is refusal to believe in Jesus; (b) that, although Jesus was found guilty and apparently died in disgrace, in reality righteousness has triumphed, for Jesus has returned to his Father; (c) finally, that it is the ruler of this world, Satan, who has been condemned through Jesus' death (John 12:32).

What this means for us is that the true followers of the Church are those who believe in Jesus Christ. But it doesn't end there. That is why Jesus promises us the Paraclete. Jesus reminds us as this chapter continues on, that the end result of such faith is love…the Father loves those who love his Son. Those who love the Son love the Father and they also love all others -- their sisters and brothers as well as strangers. The Holy Spirit is coming to strengthen our ability to love others.

What does it matter? To view the world through the eyes of the Church means that our vision of success will be turned upside-down. We will no longer strive only to be healthy, wealthy and wise. Instead, we also will strive to emulate the suffering servant and his mission to the outcasts. Faith is the first step for us just as it was for the prison guard watching over Paul and Silas. One he proclaimed his faith, he showered his love upon the disciples. For us too, this means that the next step is going out into the world and confronting it with the love of God even when you don't want to. For that, we need to be strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus leaves, he promises to send us exactly what we need to carry out this mission born of our faith and strengthened by the Spirit.

Action

What is your next step? Last weekend, the latest Men's Cursillo saw 15 men embrace the friendship of Jesus Christ and they now step back to the world to live out their Fourth Day. How are you living your Fourth Day? What next step is the Church asking you to take? Where will the love of God take you?