09/06/2024

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.”

Thus, in the mind of Jesus, in principle, no one is excluded. Jesus does not draw up identity barriers. No matter what a person’s faith is – Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or even pagan – if they are doing the will of God, they are members of God’s family. As it is wise not to judge a book by its cover, it is wise not to judge a person by their identity. Read their life, their behaviour and ethics.

As I put it while I was Catholic Chaplain in the Multi-faith Chaplaincy Team at Canary Wharf, we are different regiments in the same divine army. Different uniforms and etiquette, pride - and gratitude - in our belonging to our faith, but not enemies of someone who is in a different regiment if fighting on our side, helping God make this world a better place.

If someone swims like a good person, quacks like a good person and flies like a good person, they are a good person.

Belonging and believing are important. However, the paramount reality is the behaving. On that we will be – and are even now – judged.

As we read in Matthew 7:21: “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.”

By the way, in case you wondered why “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is eternal – unforgivable - it is, because it is a conscious and hardened opposition to the truth, “because the Spirit is truth” (as we read in 1 John 5:6). Conscious and hardened resistance to the truth leads folk away from humility and repentance, and without repentance and apology - there can be no forgiveness. So I apologise if I have upset any of you.