There are many theologies out there competing with that of the Catholic Church. The one thing we all should be able to say with confidence as a Christian is “we are saved through grace alone.” That’s what the first reading from the letter to the Roman’s says. It’s nothing we have done so we can’t brag about it. One of the major differences though for how we view things as Catholic is: we see ourselves as renewed, worth something, valuable in the eyes of God. It is out of this renewal, this configuring to the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation that our works begin to have meaning. We don’t earn our way to heaven by doing the works of mercy, rather we make Heaven present here by the indwelling of Christ within us. It is from that indwelling, that image we are made in, that we realize the inherent dignity and worth of every single person. They don’t have to earn it, they don’t have to even act a certain way to receive it, but because they are loved by God, if we have God within us, then we too must love. It has to become a part of our nature, but that begins with a choice.
That is what I believe Jesus was speaking of when He spoke to the Pharisees in the Gospel today. He reminded them that their ancestors had persecuted the prophets of God, killing them and refusing to change internally. Here Jesus is confronting each and every one of us. He is saying “I have sent messengers to you. Did you change?” What is the response of the people who Jesus challenged today? “The scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.” Instead of repenting of the wrongdoing, instead of making sure that people were made aware of the need not just to follow the law, but to change their hearts and minds, they decided to get rid of Jesus just like their ancestors did the Prophets. In the future, all of the Apostles would be martyred except Judas who took his own life, and John who was exiled to the island of Patmos after they found it impossible to kill him.
I think that is our message for today. To ask ourselves, are we listening to the voice of God? As an individual and as a society? We seem as a nation to want to do the same as mankind always has and to get rid of those who prick out conscience. Using our words, and lately, even our actions, to tear down that person’s dignity so no one will listen to them or until they are afraid to talk. It is up to us to stand up to the world as disciples of Christ and to bring the Gospel of hope and love to every person, not making God in our own image. This is the example from the Saint for today’s feast, Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Writing in the first century, Ignatius affirmed the deity of Christ, helped establish rules for how the episcopacy would be governed and was one of the first to use the term “Catholic” in writing. He is one of the early Church Fathers and was believed to be one of the Apostles of John (yes that John.) It is thanks to men like him, who gave their lives for their faith, that we have the beauty of the Catholic church still here today 2000 years later.
Are we living up to that example? Here is a quote from Ignatius to meditate on for today:
We recognize a tree by its fruit, and we ought to be able to recognize a Christian by his action. The fruit of faith should be evident in our lives, for being a Christian is more than making sound professions of faith. It should reveal itself in practical and visible ways. Indeed it is better to keep quiet about our beliefs, and live them out, than to talk eloquently about what we believe, but fail to live by it.