Story of Catholics in heaven behind a wall because “they like to pretend that they are the only ones here.” I chose Catholics to be behind the wall, but it could have been any Christian denomination really. We all have these blind spots, it’s why the task of forming Christian unity still drags on without resolution so far. I chose Catholics because, in the past, and perhaps still now, many Catholics did believe they were the only ones who would get into heaven. In fact, one priest in 1933, Fr Feeney, did give a homily in which he said that only Catholics would be saved. The Vatican wrote to him to put him straight and warn him not to say such things in the future, because such teaching was not in accord with official Catholic doctrine.
In fact, St Paul does mention a “dividing wall”, a wall of hostility between Jews and non-Jews, Gentiles. In fact, such a wall actually did exist in the temple in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. The historian Josephus describes it as a stone wall approximately 6 feet high separating the outer court of the Gentiles from the inner court of the Jews. On this wall were signs prohibiting any foreigner, i.e. non-Jew from going further under the pain of death. Most Jews tended to be exclusive and elitist towards pagans, and believed they were superior to them because the Jews had the Law of Moses which laid down the necessity of being circumcised and obeying the many dietary restrictions, and observing feasts of the new moon each month, as well as various sacrifices and the Sabbath. Unless you kept all of these rules, you could not be a true Jew and be saved.
It was Paul’s mission after his conversion to Christianity, to try to convert his fellow-Jews to welcoming pagan converts to Christ as brothers and sisters in the Lord without forcing them to embrace the whole of the Jewish Law. The Acts of the Apostles records the number of insults and assaults and attempts on his life Paul endured from his fellow Jews who absolutely did not accept his arguments. I have found for myself over the years that nothing arouses the anger and contempt of individuals so much as trying to convince them to accept and welcome people whom they dislike, especially if these come from another country.
In his time on earth Jesus frequently faced opposition from Jewish leaders who were totally against non-Jews coming into a saving relationship with their God, Yahweh. Time and again, Jesus had to face down hostility from such leaders, such as Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees who were appalled by the way Jesus made friends, not just with foreigners, but also with suspect Jews, such as lepers, tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners. All of these were attracted to Jesus because they experienced from Jesus acceptance and welcome and compassion and forgiveness, totally unlike the opposition and condemnation and rejection they experienced from the Jewish leaders. These leaders regarded other, lesser, Jews, as children of a lesser God, totally unworthy of God’s love and compassion. Jesus sharply rebuked them for such an attitude: “Go and learn what this means” he once said to the Pharisees, the self-confessed experts in the Jewish law: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9: 13).
The Catholic Church has flourished throughout its history whenever it was open-hearted enough to welcome people from different backgrounds and races. It has declined in numbers whenever it erected barriers to those who do not fit their criteria of acceptable standards. The Holy Spirit has continuously driven the Church to break through barriers of race, colour, background, and roots, and it continues to do so today. I remember seeing a poster which had the caption on it: “People are lonely, because they build walls, instead of bridges.” That statement has continuously challenged me to break out of a too-narrow view of who is acceptable to God, and who isn’t.
So-called “hostile program” in our seminary. Actually we had written “Hostel program”, as we turned our seminary during the summer holidays into a hostel for visitors to London, England. I believe, brothers and sisters that we need to examine our own “hostile” programs, and agendas. Who do we instinctively react negatively towards in our environment, because they have a different faith, or colour, or race, or background? Who do we instinctively judge and condemn, because we have formed negative trains of thought and attitude to them, due to prejudice and discrimination we have inherited or been brainwashed into accepting? Catholic teaching throughout the centuries has continually challenged us, following in the footsteps of Jesus, to move beyond building “walls of hostility” and, instead, creating bridges of unity and harmony and peace. It is not a comfortable or, indeed, popular stance, even in these days, even among Christians. But it is certainly a stance which Jesus would endorse and encourage. Do we have the courage to pursue this path even despite the opposition we will encounter?