We should never try to impose limits upon God, especially to God’s goodness and love. God is offering mercy and grace to everyone. There is no one who God does not love; there is no one God does not wish to save. There is no one who cannot be saved. This is one of the many reasons why we should not make hasty judgments, especially the kind which suggests someone is unequivocally and necessarily bound for perdition. Just as it is the sin of despair to believe we cannot be saved, a sin which then leads us to act recklessly and without concern for our long term good, so it would be a sin to believe it is impossible for God to save anyone else. Such a belief questions God’s goodness and power, leading us to believe they are limited. They lead us to question God’s mercy, thinking justice has nothing to do with mercy. What we have been told is that God seeks for and desires the salvation of all, and in that desire, God will do all that God can (without undermining creaturely freedom) to bring someone, and indeed, everyone to salvation; we must not deny the possibility that God will obtain what God desires.
God’s mercy knows no bounds. Jesus reveals this to us many times in his ministry; perhaps one of the greatest examples of this is found when he healed a paralytic man. When he encountered that man, Jesus healed both his physical and spiritual infirmities. He showed us that his care and concern was the holistic good of the paralytic man, that he was interested in him as a whole person, and not just his soul. Jesus’ critics judged and condemned the paralytic, thinking he must be a great sinner if he suffered with such a terrible condition, and as a result, they judged and condemned Jesus, saying he committed blasphemy by claiming to have the power to forgive his sins:
And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he then said to the paralytic — “Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men (Matt. 9:2-7 RSV).
Jesus demonstrated his power to forgive the paralytic’s sins by healing him, by helping him get up and walk. Those who questioned Jesus and his mercy would have to ask themselves, how did he have the power to heal him the man’s paralysis if he were committing blasphemy. And if they believed the man’s sins was what caused the paralysis (which of course, Jesus denied), would not his healing demonstrate those sins were forgiven, that is, would not their own argument speak against their criticism? Jesus knew that their objection lay in the evil which resided in their hearts, and he wanted to persuade them to give up that evil by showing the power of God’s merciful grace.
It is evil, and therefore, sinful to deny God’s mercy to those who not only need it, but welcome it in their lives. God’s mercy is available to all. We all need it. Indeed, it can be said that our sins often paralyze us, making us incapable of knowing or having the ability to do what is right and just. When we see our sins before us, and the way they form habits which are difficult for us to overcome, we can end up questioning ourselves and the value which God sees in us. Jesus wants us to know that we should not let our paralysis get the best of us; we should accept his grace, accept his help, and in doing so, have faith that he will help us grow, and that, if we keep working with him, we will slowly find ourselves capable of engaging God and God’s work in the world.
If we look to others, especially the vulnerable, the poor, the homeless, and condemn them, saying they deserve all the pain and suffering they get, they are lazy and worthless, we become likes Jesus’ critics who denounced him for helping those in need. We end up rejecting the dignity of those who are most in need of its affirmation. How can we look to those whom Jesus said he came to love and help, indeed, those in whom Jesus said he would be found, and say it is fine if they are mistreated and abused? If someone were to say it is wrong for us to help them, that they must only help themselves, they follow the same logic that Jesus’ critics used to condemn him when he healed sinners. If we examine those saying this, especially if they pretend to be religious and invoke God while acting contrary to Christ’s teaching, it is not hard to conclude that they are being blasphemous. If they are in positions of power and authority, either in the church, or in the state, doing this, they end up resembling the rulers who ridiculed the prophets when the prophets warned them of the consequences of their evil actions. If those who claim to be Christian do not heed the warnings of Scripture and the Christian tradition, they should not be surprised that they will have to face the consequences of their injustices: not only will the places they rule suffer from their bad management, leaving the land desolate (like in the time of Elijah), they will likewise suffer a spiritual famine, the kind which those who have warned them and resisted them will not suffer:
So, accordingly, should a famine ever occur — let it stay away – for the whole Church, the just does not experience famine, for the intelligent person, engaged in reasoning, training, being concerned with the law of the Lord day and night, conducting himself according to the logos, enjoys spiritual nourishment as did Elijah, according to the story, in a time of famine. [1]
Christians are called to protect the vulnerable. They are to use their charisms for the good of the church, but also for the good of humanity. Each will have a different charism, a different gift, which must be put to use for the good of all, including, of course, the salvation of all:
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Rom. 12:6-8 RSV).
Let those who know of God’s pathos for the poor speak out on behalf of the poor, continuing the legacy of the prophets. Let the rich who have money use that money for the common good, helping the poor in their needs even as they execute positive changes in society so that various structures of sin can be removed. It is important for all of us to remember that the gifts given to us, including our own salvation, are not meant to be selfishly embraced by us; they are should help us contribute to the good of all. Let us, therefore, not justify ourselves when we ignore those who need our help, by judging and condemning them, saying that they deserve nothing from us. For if we ignore their good, their dignity, and their needs, judging them so as to excuse ourselves from our responsibility to them, we are the ones who risk getting what we deserve.
[1] Origen, Homilies on the Psalms: Codex Monacensis Graecus 314. Trans. Joseph W. Trigg (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2020), 115 [Homily 3 on Psalm 36].
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