Reflection on John 10:1-10

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Beloved in Christ, in this Gospel Jesus recognizes himself as the sheep-gate when he declares, Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep… I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. Does this mean there is no other gate and no other access to the Kingdom and to God the Father? The answer is YES! Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn. 14:6). But does this mean that non-Christians will not be saved? The answer is No! Although non-Christians do not acknowledge Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer, the Church teaches that the quest of their human spirit for truth and goodness, and in the final analysis for God, is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit is the Third Person in the Blessed Trinity. Although he is a unique person in the Trinity, just as the Father is,  and the Son is, the activity of the Holy Spirit is also the activity of the Father and the Son. Therefore, every work and activity of the Holy Spirit in other religions is also the work and activity of the Father and the Son. Neither Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit has a personal and private pet project. Every work of the Father, or the Son or the Holy Spirit is the work of the Blessed Trinity. The unity of the Trinity is demonstrated in the work they do. Non-Christians may not now acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior or accept his redemptive sacrifice on the cross, but if they diligently and sincerely practice what is good in their religious traditions and follow the dictates of their own conscience, when they meet God on the last day, they will finally know that Jesus is the Redeemer, the Gate, the Way through whom we have access to the Father. They will finally come to know that it is the precious Blood of Jesus that saves.  Speaking on Salvation and Other Religions, Pope John Paul II said, “It will be in the sincere practice of what is good in their own religious traditions and by following the dictates of their own conscience that the members of other religions respond positively to God’s invitation and receive salvation in Jesus Christ, even while they do not recognize or acknowledge him as their Savior.” 

When I was growing up in Nigeria, a strong wave of pentecostalism was sweeping many towns and cities in Nigeria. Historical fact submits that pentecostalism started around 1910 in Nigeria, but it seems it was in the 80’s and 90’s that this wave got stronger. The theological foundation of the message of these pentecostal preachers and their members was: unless you are born again, you cannot be saved; Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Their view of “born again” entails an abandonment of one’s previous religious faith and joining what they called “Bible believing church,” which means, their own church. During this time, even Catholics and other mainline church members were told that they were not Christians, not born again, and so, were hell-bound. As such many Catholic weaklings left the Catholic Church and joined these Pentecostals and later claimed that they have seen the light. Non-Christians were told that unless they become baptized in the Holy Spirit and are born again, they will not be saved. Of course, this exclusivist view of salvation is not supported by the Catholic Church.

When we talk about salvation, we should avoid two extremes. One is the exclusivist claim that only baptized Christians can be saved. This view is extremely harsh, discriminatory and does not take into account the universality of God and also does serious damage to efforts to stop tensions and conflicts between Christians and non-Christians. At the Second Vatican Council, one of the principle documents of the Council, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium highlights the nature, role and guidelines of the Church, and also speaks about Muslims. After considering the People of God who profess faith in Christ, and the Jewish people, the document goes on to declare that: “God’s plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, first among whom are the Muslims: they profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, who will judge all human beings on the last day” (Lumen Gentium 16). In Nostra Aetate, On the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, the Church states it “has a high regard for the Muslims. (Because) They worship God who is one. They submit themselves to God’s will as did Abraham…Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His Virgin Mother…” 

Another extreme to be avoided, which unfortunately is more prevalent today is the conviction that one’s religion does not really matter as long as one finds himself or herself on a spiritual path. This view undermines the special place and uniqueness of Christianity. While Christianity may be seen as one religion among the many, it is however, God’s ultimate and final project for humanity. The word of God tells us that “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through his Son, who he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the radiance of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word” (Hebrews 1:1-3) In no other religion is God made flesh. In no other religion did God died and rise. In no other religion did God give himself in the elements of bread and wine but in Christianity. With Jesus Christ, something unimaginably new has entered the world. With Jesus Christ, something greater than Abraham, greater than Jonah, greater than John the Baptist dwells among us. With Jesus Christ, something that is profoundly pleasing to God and also redemptive was given to us. Check this out! Other religions emphasize the quest of the human spirit for truth and goodness and God. But Christianity is chiefly about God’s longing for us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). Again, “While we were still sinners Jesus Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Why? Because of God’s urgent longing to reconcile with us and to be one with us. The Catholic Church acknowledges that the founders of other religions achieved a deeper religious experience with the help of the Holy Spirit, which they  later  handed on to others their experience in the form of doctrines, rites, and precepts. But the uniqueness of Christianity is that God himself is the founder. Through Jesus Christ, God gave everything to us. God certainly gave something and left something in other religions; however, through the Son of Man, God gave everything. God abandoned himself totally. God allowed himself to be humbled and humiliated so that he can exalt and redeem us. What is exceedingly pleasing to God can only be found and experienced in Jesus Christ and in Christianity.