Church of the Madalene

Christianity 101

Two weeks ago, the priest and deacons of the Diocese of Tulsa met for our latest Continuing Education Convocation. These are three day gatherings in which a guest speaker presents on various topics for the on-going education of clergy. The speaker for this gathering was Fr. Roger J. Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts. He was recently commissioned a Missionary Priest of Mercy by Pope Francis. One thing that Fr. Landry shared was what he called "Christianity 101" and why it is important to the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

"Christianity 101" is the basic message of the Gospel. In short, it is that God the Father looks upon us with love. We, all of humanity, are drowning in a toxic swamp of our pride, anger, violence, greed. envy, lust, etc. Try as we may, we are unable to save ourselves. So, God the Son, Jesus, dives into the swamp to save us and dies on the Cross doing so. It is the greatest expression of God's mercy. The great tragedy of our time. Fr. Landry said is that most people, including most Christians, don't really understand, let alone get a passing grade in "Christianity 101".

We can downplay our sins, settle that we can get by with just being "nice" people instead of being "holy" people as God has created us to be. We can dismiss our sins, and live a double life of outward piety and goodness but an inner life of decay and corruption. We can have a false sense of holiness in which we think we can save ourselves through good behavior. The opposite can happen as well. We can have a real sense of despair in which we believe that because of our sins we are now unlovable, unforgivable and beyond saving. 

The reason that Pope Francis has called for this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy is to teach us the meaning of "Christianity 101". We are first to recognize that we can be sinners, yet are not beyond saving. God the Father looks upon us with love. We are to discover that we are love by God and forgiven by the Blood of Christ on the Cross. Those who do not see their sins also see no need to be forgiven. They see no need for a Savior. 

In contrast, the saints know who they are, sinners in need of a Savior, and this they know the greatness of God's mercy and forgiveness. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus, the human face of God the Father's mercy, prefers sinners. God's preferential love is for those who recognize they are most in need of mercy. 

Mercy is not a blank check or some type of "get out of jail free card" which allows us to then go about and do as we please. Mercy calls us to recognize and repent of our sins, and then to be converted to a new way of life in Christ. It is the conversion that "Christianity 101" is all about. 

We are now in Lent, the great season of Mercy. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, we admit that we need to "Repent and believe in the Gospel". we recognize that we are sinners in need of mercy. All our fasting, prayer and acts of charity of Lent are to be done in preparation for Holy Week and Easter, in which we enter into again the great events of our salvation in the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. In them, we are called to respond to mercy, through repentance and conversion. we are called to holiness, to new life in Christ. For God the Father looks upon us in love. This is the meaning of "Christianity 101".

This is the meaning of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy.

Fr. Bryan