All Are Welcome In The Church

May 6, Thursday

FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

 

In full collegiality, the apostles decided at the Council of Jerusalem that the Church is to be open to all without any distinction. All are saved in the same way: through Jesus Christ. God loves all people. That must have been a tremendous challenge for the Jews, to whom pagans were unclean and alien.

Is the Church indeed open to all today? Is there no distinction of color, language, and social class? Is there no discrimination against the poor, against people with a “bad record?” People with long hair, who have different tastes in music, people with shorter sleeves or skirts? What are the things that really matter and that are objects of faith? What makes us stay and live in the love of Christ?

First Reading: Acts 15:7-21

The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: “Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth. And God, who can’t be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person’s thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us. He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.

“So why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too? Don’t we believe that we are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us just as he did those from beyond our nation? So what are we arguing about?”

There was dead silence. No one said a word. With the room quiet, Barnabas and Paul reported matter-of-factly on the miracles and wonders God had done among the other nations through their ministry. The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop.

James broke the silence. “Friends, listen. Simeon has told us the story of how God at the very outset made sure that racial outsiders were included. This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophets:

After this, I’m coming back;
I’ll rebuild David’s ruined house;
I’ll put all the pieces together again;
I’ll make it look like new
So outsiders who seek will find,
so they’ll have a place to come to,
All the pagan peoples
included in what I’m doing.

“God said it and now he’s doing it. It’s no afterthought; he’s always known he would do this.

“So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. We’ll write them a letter and tell them, ‘Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.’ This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath.”

Gospel: John 15:9-11

“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.

Prayer

Lord, our God,
you want your Church
to be open to all persons and all nations,
for your Son was available to all
and you love all people.
God, give us open minds
and open hearts.
Save us from our narrow prejudices
and stop us from trying to create people
in our own image and likeness.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Reflection:

Can love be commanded or forced?

Can love be commanded or forced? I can’t force someone to love me! Love and commandments – these two words look like opposing each other. But, Jesus in today’s Gospel says, ‘if you want to be in my love, keep my commandments.” Does it sound like, ‘fulfil this requirement to be loved by Jesus?’ Certainly not. Jesus loves us without conditions; but the decision to accept or reject his love is totally our choice.

It is important to pay attention to the words of Jesus. Jesus does not keep conditions for his love. His love for us is totally unconditional – no additional requirements added for the love of Jesus. But, remaining in the love of Jesus is a personal choice. Disciples can choose not to abide in the love of Jesus by their refusal to love others. This was the command he had given – ‘love one another as I have loved you.’

Learning to love someone without expecting anything in return is difficult. In the same way, for a community to become a loving community is even more challenging. The powers of sin, embedded in human communities – through their personal insecurity, envy, unhealthy competitions and hostility can lurk, hidden but powerful. The task calls for honesty and courage; and may require suitable and effective structures for sharing, discernment and decision-making.

Only by remaining in his love, by trusting and surrendering to his love, can disciples hope to love one another without conditions. Their abiding in Jesus is always a work in progress.

Lord our God, Father of all,
we remain in your love
if we keep your commandments.
Give us the strength
to keep your command of love
without any discrimination.
And if we have any favourites,
let it be the poor and the little people,
those without rights or name,
that we give them access to justice and joy.
In this way, may the joy of your Son be in us,
now and until it is complete forever.

Video available on Youtube: Can love be commanded or forced?