Way back in the fourth century, Augustine said, âThe church consists of the communion of the whole world.â In other
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Hope Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time 2016 Refection By: Deacon Paul Hursh Whatever your view of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God, or Salvation; I am reasonably sure that your Hope is that you are included in this view. …and as much as we are admonished by Jesus not to judge others, (Matthew 7:1) we very often have an expectation of who will not be included in the glorious vision for the future. A future that is often depicted as God’s banquet or feast. The problem with believing that we have “made it” and others have not, is that we are most assuredly in for a big surprise. The surprise is contained in the readings this week (Isaiah 66: 18-21 & Luke 13:22-30) in that salvation is not something we can control, earn, or inherit. Because we don’t control our future we are anxious, and so like the person in the Gospel, we may ask, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus doesn’t answer this question directly, but responds with parables. Like most of Jesus’ parables, these parables of the Reign of God turn conventional wisdom on its head. The shocking truth in these stories is that the bright, or strong, or rich, or beautiful, or even the chosen Jewish race, are not necessarily reserved a seat at the banquet table. In fact it is not the first to arrive that get a seat, but the last, the Gentiles, not necessarily the Jews, not even those who knew Jesus; because many of these would be outside grinding their teeth. So what is our Hope, and what is the advantage of practicing the Faith? Who, in fact, is destined for Heaven?
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Way back in the fourth century, Augustine said, “The church consists of the communion of the whole world.”1 In other words, wherever there is communion, that is, the Church. Wherever there is love, that’s where God is. Even though an official "doctor of the Church" said this, most Christians would disagree. They’d say the church is comprised of people who belong to our tribe or group, who have been baptized and follow all the proper rituals and believe the right things. Our vision of Church may color whom we believe will be saved. We may hope that our membership in the Church reserves us a spot at the banquet table. Perhaps a better vision of Church is that of a body of believers who reach out to the world in the effort to bring everyone to faith so that all can be recipients of salvation. This is the Holy Communion that Augustine envisioned in his Church. What is our understanding of Hope? Is our understanding of Hope to see faith as an active involvement in shaping a future where all are welcomed into the Kingdom of God? This Heavenly Banquet would closely resemble the meals Jesus shared here on earth 2,000 years ago, where all were welcomed from least to greatest, both sinner and saint. Are we ready to set aside any notion of privilege or control so that all may be partakers in God’s generous gift of merciful grace? This vision will also free us from the need to judge others and simply accept God’s forgiveness as we have forgiven others. We need to think about what Jesus commanded when we are tempted to judge others. Jesus commanded, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2) I believe that this means that if we can love and forgive others, we too will be loved and forgiven and in this way we will all find a place at the table of the Heavenly Banquet.
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Augustine, On the Unity of the Church: Against the Donatists
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