Saying 'Yes' Leads to a Deeper Relationship with God

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 8/26/04)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the Annual Mass for Permanent Deacons and Their Wives held at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington on Aug. 22.

In today’s first and third Scripture readings, we cannot help but notice a very clear contrast, almost a contradiction. On the one hand, there is the welcome assurance that God desires everyone to be saved. As the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah in the first reading, " … I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory." This welcome assurance was echoed in our Psalm refrain: "Go out to all the world and tell the Good News" — the Good News of God’s saving will! Jesus Himself points to this welcome assurance in today’s Gospel passage: "And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God." Yet, on the other hand, Jesus also seems to speak words that are more somber and restrictive. "Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough."

How do we resolve this contrast, this almost contradiction? By realizing that the Lord Who does desire to save us can do so only when we give our free consent. As an early Church writer put it, "the God who created us without our consent can save us only with our consent."

This consent, this "yes," lies at the core of our relationship with God. It is the essence of our faith-response. It is what the spiritual life is all about.

Now, saying "yes" to the Lord involves our growing into an ever-deeper relationship with the Lord. This growth does not happen by chance nor by coincidence; it results from a personal and free decision of the will, aided and transformed by God’s grace. Developing and deepening a personal relationship with the Lord demands a kind of discipline: the discipline of the spiritual life. And this discipline is "the narrow door" to which Jesus refers in today’s Gospel account. So, the goal is union with God forever — the salvation He so desires to give to each one of us. The way to achieve the goal is the discipline of the spiritual life — that "discipline of the Lord" to which today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews refers.

You and I are not unaware about the discipline it takes to achieve a goal. As we watch the Summer Olympics at Athens, we are reminded over and over that discipline – lots of discipline — enables these athletes to achieve the goal of winning their coveted medals.

So, then, the narrow gate for us disciples of Jesus is the discipline of the spiritual life, to which everyone of us, from Baptism onward, is called. What does this discipline include?

There is the discipline of daily prayer. In the morning and at night — and, at other times too, we must open our minds and hearts to the Lord in order to be with Him, to heard His Word: "I love you" and to respond: "I too love You; draw me closer to You."

There is the discipline of participating in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice at least every weekend. How can we live without the Lord Jesus giving us His Saving Word and His very Life in Holy Communion! We must celebrate the Mass with attentive minds and open hearts, realizing that "it is the Lord" Who makes us one with Him and through Him with one another!

There is the discipline of regular sacramental confession — the Sacrament of Penance —where we experience the forgiving and reconciling love of Jesus and of His Church. Through this regular celebration, we become more healed and strengthened to avoid sin in the future and to grow in divine grace — God’s very life!

There is the discipline of being faithful to one’s own vocation in life: marriage, parenthood, widowhood, priestly life, diaconal life, consecrated life, chastely-committed single life. Our permanent deacons, from throughout the diocese, are among us this evening, along with their wives. Dear deacons, you are being called to be holy in a very specific way, together with your wives and family members. You must continue to embrace the discipline of the spiritual life as it applies to you as both a husband and father and as an ordained deacon. Your relationship with Christ must continue to deepen, so that you can minister to God’s people with a faithful heart and a generous spirit. Please know that our diocesan family, beginning with me as its chief pastor, is deeply grateful for your diaconal service. We hold you in prayer each day.

There is the discipline of seeking out, accepting and obeying the teachings of the official Church. Church teaching is rooted in the Scriptures and in the living tradition of the Church. What a contribution we make to society when we explain and, even more, live out the truths of our Catholic faith because these truths are life-giving!

Yes, there is a very clear contrast, almost a contradiction, in our Scripture readings. What this contrast leads us to see, to understand and to embrace is the discipline of the spiritual life. Through this discipline, may we deepen our union with the Lord while we travel this earth so that one day, when we arrive home, we may be welcomed forever into the presence of our Triune God, Who never ceases to call us all to salvation, through the narrow gate of spiritual discipline. Amen!

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