May 23rd
Matthias is an intriguing character from this past Sunday’s fIrst reading from the Acts of the Apostles, and I believe I can learn from his story. (In brief outline, Matthias was chosen to replace Judas as an Apostle.) To me, the key message is that if we have become part of a group, we should be willing to accept new members.
For instance, I am the great-grandson of Italian immigrants. That being the case, how could I ever take a cold-hearted position regarding those people who seek citizenship in the United States now? It reminds me of a comedian who describes a man emigrating to the United States, walking in, and then turning around to say to the next person in line “OK, we’re full now.” It just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Maybe part of the reason I think this way is because I came to practice Catholicism a little later in life. I went through RCIA* in college. I’ve now been a practicing Catholic longer than I wasn’t, but I still feel like an outsider sometimes. These outsider feelings are my failing, ultimately, especially considering how welcoming our parish has always been.
I should be thinking of the story of Matthias. I should be thinking of the parable of the workers in the vineyard, and how the workers who arrived later received the same pay as those who labored all day. I should be considering that the economics of God are not the economics of man. God doesn’t check your punchcard to see when you arrived. God doesn’t check your membership card to see if you were a founding member.
So I pray that I never act in a way that serves to exclude others from the grace of God. Now that I’ve been fortunate enough to be introduced to Jesus (thanks to my wife), I pray that I always do my best to introduce Him to others, and to invite new members into His group.
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* Saint Brigid says, ” RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, an amazing process that welcomes adults (and children old enough to understand) into the Catholic Church.
Your truth is appreciated however reading into what you wrote (and perhaps reading too much into it) are you saying that your opinions about situations would change if the situation was your own? ie. if your child needed stem cells to change his life you would be for them, but if he did not your position would be against it? I am not meaning to be judgmental, I am just trying to grasp the concept. Very intriguing and well written as always J.
In response to the first comment, I don’t believe the author was taking a position about how his or her opinions are formed based on whether or not the author is personally impacted by the situation. My interpretation is that we should be welcoming of others and not be exclusive. In particular, as members of the Christian faith we are called by God to welcome non-believers to come to know God and all his glory and grace.
Dear Maria,
Thank you for your comment. Thought provoking, as always. But that was not what I meant, and I re-read my most to see why it might have been interpreted that way. I can’t really explain why it was.
The message I intended, as observed, is that we should not act in ways which exclude others from the grace of God. Quite the opposite, we should act in ways that draw people into His glory.
Thank you for the questions. They keep my on my toes.
- J
I see as the theme of this reflection the inclusion of all into the Body of Christ. Within Christ, the human distinctions of geography or ethnicity or gender or financial status are overcome. The notion of a legacy of faith, as I wrote about last week, is a beautiful doorway for future generations to enter into the Church family, but it does not serve to elevate one brother or sister in Christ over any other.
I am reminded of the song lyrics to “One Bread, One Body,” based on scripture (Galatians 3:28), “Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, no more….” Thank you for this reflection and your charitable response.