My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In his autobiography, Mohandas K. Gandhi, wrote that in his student days he was truly interested in the Bible. Deeply moved by the message of the Gospels, he seriously considered becoming a convert since Christianity seemed to offer a real solution to the caste system that divided the people of India. One Sunday Gandhi went to a nearby church to attend services. He decided to see the minister and ask for instruction in the way of salvation and enlightenment on other doctrines. But when he entered the church, the ushers refused to seat him and suggested that he go and worship with his own kind. Gandhi left and did not return. “If Christians have caste differences also”, he said to himself, “I might as well remain a Hindu”.
Today, the Gospel (Lk. 13:22-30) and the first reading from Isaiah (66:18-21) challenge that attitude among Christians who would leave a Gandhi without a seat in church or a welcome into the community. Why was he turned away? The colour of his skin? His insistence on non-violence? Whatever the cause of his rejection, the experience of Gandhi and the experiences of any who are excluded call out to us to remember God’s universal and loving intent for humankind. “I come to gather nations of every language”, proclaims the God of the prophets’ vision (Is. 66:18-21). “People will come from the east and west, from the north and south”, declares Jesus. All are welcome to take their place at the banquet feast in the kingdom. But Isaiah’s mission and Jesus’ invitation are not simply otherworldly ideals. Rather, the universality of the prophet’s vision and the inclusivity of Jesus’ portrayal of the kingdom are to be started here and now among all who would be Jesus’ disciples.
From the second reading (Heb. 12:5-7) we learn that accepting others fully, freely and without reservation requires a daily discipline of will. One of those small steps toward inclusiveness might simply be reaching out with genuine interest to listen to the ideas of another with whom we are usually too ready to disagree. This genuine listening will preclude my formulating an answer until I have completely heard the other person’s thought.
Just as Jesus reached out in welcome and acceptance to all, so must those who would call themselves his own.
Posts
