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| Saint Meinrad in the Welcome Hall at Saint Meinrad Archabbey |
He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Martin Luther rightly insisted that the Christian is saved by faith. He drew his conviction from an intense study of Saint Augustine’s writing and even deeper reflection on the epistles of Saint Paul. He found enormous consolation in this teaching, which he called sola fides (only faith), in part because he was tormented by doubts about his own worthiness.
But there may have been, if not in his mind perhaps in his teaching, an overemphasis on the activity of the believer. He wanted to say we are not saved by our good works but by faith, but his emphasis on the act of faith can also be exaggerated. The scrupulous person will inevitably ask himself, “Do I really believe or am I just telling myself I do?” Or, like the Cowardly Lion, he might repeat over and over, “I do believe, I do believe, I do, I do, I do believe” in an effort to make it so.
Confronted by this nagging uncertainty we do well to turn back to scripture and hear Saint Paul’s reassurance, “God is faithful.” It is, after all, in God we trust, and not in our own fidelity. I'd sooner bet my soul on a broken down nag at the race track than my own virtue; but I am sure of the Word of God.
No one knows when “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” might come but we know we must die, and we should be prepared for that. Can anyone say where his mind will be as he dies? Will I have the presence of mind to say, “Save me Lord, and help my unbelief?” This is where I count on that "fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" which I find in the Church, especially in our sacramental life:
As a hospital chaplain I sometimes ask the dying patient three questions about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – questions based upon the Apostles Creed -- and he responds, “I do (believe)!” With those affirmations he is ready to receive Viaticum, “food for the journey,’ and to remain “firm to the end.”
Because God is faithful and because our fellowship is faithful, we can rest easy about the Day of the Lord. It will be a Great Day for God (first of all) and for us.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.