Are you saved? You have had to see those commercials, “if you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior you will be saved.” It’s the main part of the fundamentalist movement. Don’t get me wrong it’s a nice thought, but didn’t Jesus talk about lip service. Is it about being saved from hell or is it about living in salvation i.e. being set free? Experiencing salvation is not just a creed we profess, but actually living the life of Christ. Protestants and Catholics alike think they are saved but are not living the life. If you are truly a “saved person” you are a person who is changing, evolving in Christ. Jesus says in this Sunday’s Gospel, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And what are His commandments but to live His love.
Saved people are prayerful people, but their prayer leads them to action. Saved people are evolving in their understanding of the poor and helping them. From what I understand, it appears that the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting the poor because they are doing most of the essential services and their living environments tend to be more crowded, making it easier for the coronavirus to spread. Saved people see the great injustices in this world, and work for justice. Saved people move towards non-violence in this world. Saved people live in the tension, the cross, being pulled in different directions, and holding it together. Are we saved by professing Jesus as our Lord and Savior, or are we saved because we are willing to live the life of Christ? And there are many people who do not know the name but are living the life. (Is half the population of the world going to hell because they don’t know the name of Jesus? That makes no sense).
God bless,
Fr. Chris