This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
In today’s reading from the first letter of John, we learn a fundamental criterion for discernment between spirits that are of God vs. those that are not: The acknowledgement of Jesus Christ come in the flesh.
This reminds us of a similar reading from the same author, the Gospel reading from Christmas day: “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.” (Jn. 1:11-13)
Also, in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus Himself says, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (Jn. 11:25-26)
From these passages we may infer a clear truth: That faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God Himself who has taken on flesh, is the criterion for salvation.
This may sound like a Protestant concept. It is not. It is a Scriptural concept, a Christian concept, and a true concept.
Indeed, within the Church, individuals and groups of people have fallen into the error of overemphasizing the moral aspects of the Christian life to the point essentially of believing that salvation comes from following certain rules. Saints, then, are those who follow these rules to a more perfect degree.
Whereas in truth, the perennial teaching of the Church is that Jesus alone saves; nothing that we do contributes substantially to our salvation, except to accept: To say “yes” to this merciful Savior.
True, as St. James tells us, “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Faith without works is dead. This does not mean, however, that a half-and-half formula of faith and works is the necessary recipe for salvation. Rather, as St. James goes onto explain, faith in Jesus is made manifest in our works. If it is not, then we do not have a living faith, but a dead and sterile one.
Said differently, part of the way we say “yes” to Jesus and His utterly sufficient and necessary saving grace is by saying “yes” over and over to His way in the little things of every day life. Indeed, he who sins says “no” and by his very act of sin rejects that grace. “Yes” is not a word; it is a lifestyle, a life.
So it is that Jesus Himself tells us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt. 7:21)
This is the formula that Jesus applies, not only to our happiness, but to His own as well; He shows us the way: “The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” (Jn. 8:29)
Still, it would be a mistake to think of our lives as a set of individual, disjointed events, where in each event we start over and have an equal chance of saying “yes” or “no” to God. If we have a daily, Scriptural, contemplative prayer life, then in our prayer, we say “yes” to Him with all our hearts and give ourselves to Him. He, in turn, inflames our hearts with love for Him and a desire for union with Him. (Sometimes we sense this love and feel the burning flame; sometimes we do not. But regardless, if we pray, He is there to deepen and strengthen our desire.) It is this flame, this desire, that then manifests itself throughout each day in our many small “yeses.”
Thus, the life of the Christian in grace simply becomes a love story; of God constantly offering His infinite grace to us, of us saying “yes,” and of Him pouring out His grace of strength and love into our hearts to aid us in our constancy and fidelity.
To the Christian life, the same words may be applied as those applied to Zebulun and Naphtali in today’s Gospel passage: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.”
Jesus Christ is that light; He is all we need.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you want to remain in His grace today and forever; tell Him that, whatever the sacrifices implied, your answer to Him is “yes.” Tell Him that you want the manifestation of that “yes” to be molded by His Holy Spirit in your life, not by your pride. Ask Him never to let you be parted from Him, no matter what the cost.
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