4 minute read
How was Jesus inclusive?
Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr.is the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
I remember once as a priest, a man entered the church just before Mass turned and casually asked, “Are you going to talk about sin again today, Father?” I wasn’t sure what prompted the question, and whether it was intended to be a criticism or not. In fact, I have often worried that I don’t preach on sin enough. My primary focus is always on Jesus and God’s merciful love. He is the Good News. But, to see fully why Jesus is “Good News” one must confront the reality of sin — in the world, and in one’s own life.
Priests and bishops are in the same boat as the rest of humanity when it comes to sin, which is why we need the sacraments just as much, including the Sacrament of Penance. We need a Savior. This can sometimes make it intimidating to address situations in the lives of others that are sinful. As a shepherd of souls, it is one of the hardest things to do. I suspect it is also one of the hardest things to do for parents with their own children, but this too is part of their “shepherding” role. How do I, myself a sinner called to conversion, call others to conversion?
To start, I must first take sin and my own conversion seriously. But then, as a guide, I have always looked to Jesus’ own ministry to sinners. Jesus loved (and loves) everyone, and it seems this is especially so toward the poor and those considered the most notorious sinners, the outcasts, the unclean. He dined with them, associated with them, loved them. Witnessing this compassion perplexed and infuriated some of the religious leaders of his day, whom he referred to as hypocrites. To Jesus, no one was beyond God’s mercy. But it is important to not stop there, because Jesus did not stop there. He always used his encounters with sinners as a starting point, not the end. To truly love someone, we always must seek the good for them, and if the one we care about is in a life of sin, condoning or turning a blind eye is not to love. It is worth noting that when Saint Paul wrote his great “hymn” to love in 1 Corinthians 13, he included these words: “Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor 13:6), meaning that love and sin are contradictory.
There are many examples of Jesus’ way of loving sinners, but it might serve to simply consider the story of Zacchaeus in the 19th chapter of Saint Luke’s Gospel. He is endearing because he was little — an underdog type; he had to climb a sycamore tree to see Jesus when he was passing through Jericho. Jesus met Zacchaeus with his merciful gaze, had compassion on this little man who was so despised as a sinner and stayed as a guest at his house that day. What is most noteworthy about the story is what happened next: Zacchaeus’ profound and deep conversion. Not only did Zacchaeus turn away from his sins, he performed significant penance for all those whom he had harmed in the past. Jesus associated with sinners and was not afraid to include them in his company, but in loving them fully, he called them out of their sinful lifestyle and into the truth and conversion. He really loved them.
A close examination of Jesus’ way with sinners is important because it is not uncommon to hear a misinterpretation. Sometimes, Jesus is portrayed as one-dimensional — that he welcomed everyone and that was that. It’s as if Jesus looks at the sinner and exclaims, “It’s all good!” The point, though, is that it’s not all good, and that is why Jesus died on a cross. The price was so high because the debt was so big.
As a Church, we are called to be inclusive and merciful in the way that Jesus was. To consider all as friends and fellow sinners in need of a Savior as much as we are — but to begin, not end, there. If we truly love someone, and love ourselves, we will not settle, but with Christ our life, turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel. For Jesus, it's all about saving us from sin.
