Matthew 13
The parables of this Sunday’s gospel expose three false presumptions about salvation, which are quite common among Christians in our times. The first one is that ‘the payment has been made’. The second is that ‘life can be as usual.’ And the last one is that ‘the harvest is done’.
‘The payment has been made.’ Some Christians claim that Christians only have to believe in Christ because Christ has already paid the price for salvation. But what is true is that Christ rescued us from the power of sin and death by offering his life as the ransom. Can you tell the difference? By his suffering and death, Christ opened for us the way to salvation. He did not buy and hand out salvation. What he paid is the price for opening the way to salvation. When we are baptized and when we go to confession, our sins are forgiven by the suffering and death of Christ. The price for the forgiveness of sin is beyond human efforts. This is why the Divine Son paid for it. But we still have to walk the way to salvation, which is narrow and difficult.
‘Life can be as usual’. Some Christiansbelieve Christian life doesn’t have to be different from everybody else’s except a few add-ons. You can be just anyone in the world. No difference. For them, the Christian life is an ‘extracurricular’ activity added on to ‘regular’ or ‘normal’ life. Baptized, confirmed, going to Sunday Masses, annual confession, and the last rite, then entering heaven. But the second parable in today’s gospel implies that Christian life is different. It is a constant search. It is a vigilant preparation. Salvation does not come by itself. Christians who are concerned about their salvation are in constant search of God until the last moment of life. Life after baptism cannot be as usual. The Christian life is unusual.
‘The harvest is done.’ This is another dangerous presumption. Some Christians think they already belong to the barn where good crops are gathered. They believe they are in the safe basket after a net is thrown and retrieved. They are the good ones, they assure themselves. So, these Christians think their works on earth can achieve salvation here on earth. For them, heaven is here. On the contrary, the parables today, particularly the third one suggests the harvest is not done yet. The net has to catch ‘every’ fish of ‘every’ kind until it is ‘full’. True salvation and heaven come at the last judgment. At the end of the world, the net will be retrieved and lifted, and sorting will begin. This life on earth is an opportunity God’s mercy and patience provide for us. No one is judged and condemned yet. Nor can anyone say he has already been saved.
I pray that all of us may have the strength to keep searching for the fine pearl. And I also pray that we have the courage to detach ourselves from this world to buy the treasure field. So, when we finish our lives on earth, the Lord’s angels may lead us into the basket of all saints.
