Homily

There is a topic that most Christians don't like to talk about, hear about, or think about, and it's the central theme of our Gospel today; that is the topic of the Last Judgment. We don't like to think about it – or at least we don't like to think about the possibility that we could end up in hell. One way in which we can see this fear played out is at funerals. I've been to many, many funerals, Catholic, and been told, in one way are another, that the only basic requirement for going to heaven is to die. Some Protestant groups teach, “once saved, always saved,” but I've heard quite a few Catholic priests preach “once dead, always saved.” Now, I'm not saying funerals should be opinion polls about the final fate of the departed. I remember the words of one somewhat eccentric priest back in Ohio at the funeral of a priest, “We don't know if Father is in heaven, or in hell. We can only hope.” We priests were sitting in the front pew, and behind us were the relatives, and one woman broke out in loud sobbing. I don't think we need to put the matter exactly in that way in front of grieving relatives because if Father is in hell there's nothing that we can do about it. But how are his friends and relatives prepared for their own judgment, and how were we priests? That's another matter worth some attention. (And, just to be sure it's not forgotten, at funerals, we also pray for the dead, who will eventually end up in heaven, but because they are still held up by the effects of their sins, they're not in heaven just yet. Our prayers help them. We have five All Souls Saturdays every year during the Lenten season, but almost no one ever comes. People don’t care for the spiritual needs of the dead. I find that disappointing and sad.)

A Gallup poll in 2004 showed that 81% of Americans believe in heaven and 77% believe their chances of ending up in heaven are good or excellent. But only 70% believe in hell – and, I know this will surprise you – only 6% said their chances of going there are good or excellent. These statistics fit in with the surprise of the people in today's Gospel who thought they would spend eternity with Jesus but find out that will not be their eternal home. And please notice that Jesus makes a point to tell us they were surprised. They thought they were guaranteed a reward, but they were wrong. The Lord tells us this scene so that we will not make the same mistake. We can wave it off, avoid it, dismiss it or even deny it, but we declare our belief that Christ will judge the living and the dead in the Creed, at every Liturgy. That would include us too; we are the people who will be judged. And I understand people don't like to think about judgment because it means there is a chance we might be surprised and find out that heaven is not our final destination. So just don't think about it. But when we put judgment out of our thoughts, it also means we are not thinking about the glory we could share, the love we could experience, the fullness of life that could be ours, if we choose to live as holy sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, if we choose to live as followers of Christ our Lord, if we choose to live as temples of the Holy Spirit.

We've been called to inherit the kingdom of heaven, and I think it is a great and marvelous goal to live for, in God's grace. Fear of going to hell can be a fine motivator, but shouldn't the glory of being with Christ also motivate us to live in that hope? It is true that we cannot earn heaven, but it's also true that we either choose the path that is taking us toward glory, or we choose the road that leads to hell. It’s rarely done by a single choice. It happens by the many, many choices we make every day to choose what is bad, to not choose what is good.

And now, changing gears a little bit, I can only think of two places in the Gospels where Jesus talks about a judgment where some go to heaven and others to hell. (And if there are more, I guarantee I'll only think of them after this sermon.) Today's Gospel is one. What is the other time? Yes – The Rich Man and Lazarus. So, in the minds of most people, you end up in hell for the sins of murder, adultery, extreme abuse, gross blasphemy and apostasy and the big-ticket evils that we are not guilty of. And it's true. Those items can earn you a ticket to hell.

But in both judgment stories, it's not just what the bad things people have done that have condemned them. It is also the good they have failed to do. We may not consider ourselves to be great sinners, but are we the people who feed the hungry, clothe the naked and comfort the sick? And even then, are we the people who do so out of love for Christ, or are we people who practice charity because it makes us feel good? Please consider almsgiving this Lent.

One last point. As you know there are many critics out there who complain about how terrible Christianity is, and how evil the Catholic Church is. Nothing new. Those accusations go back to the earliest days of the Church. But I'm waiting for the day when one of the Church's critics will say something like, “The Catholic Church is so evil and so ridiculous that it teaches if you do not take care of the poor and needy you cannot get into heaven. How corrupt can you get?” I'm waiting to hear that accusation – but, until then, let us serve the Lord in the least of our brothers and sisters.