(Twenty-first Sunday of the Year (C): This homily was given on August 23, 1998 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R. I. by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Luke 13: 22-30.)

"The real Jesus and the 'modern' Jesus."

After many years of observation, I've come to the following conclusion: there are two Jesuses that people worship in the contemporary world: there's the REAL Jesus, and there's what I would call the "modern" Jesus.

The real Jesus is kind and merciful; he loves sinners--BUT HE DOES NOT CONDONE THEIR SINS! If sinners want to experience the forgiveness and mercy of the real Jesus, they must humbly acknowledge their sins and repent of them. That's because the real Jesus "loves us just the way we are--but too much to let us stay that way" (as Dr. Scott Hahn would put it). This, of course, is the Jesus of the Gospels; this is the Jesus who died for us on the Cross and rose again from the dead to give us eternal life. This is the Jesus who speaks to us in today's Gospel text from Luke 13:

Someone asked him, "Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?" He replied, "Try to come in through the narrow door. Many, I tell you, will try to enter and be unable. When once the master of the house has risen to lock the door and you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Sir, open for us,' he will say in reply, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your company. You taught in our streets.' But he will answer, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Which brings us to the other Jesus: the "modern" one. In the modified, modern gospel of the modern Jesus, the text from Luke 13 that I just shared with you would sound something like this:

Someone asked him, "Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?" He replied, "Of course not! Almost everybody gets into heaven, even if they don't repent of their sins. Besides, do you realize how hard it is to commit a mortal sin? It's actually the most difficult thing in the world to do! It's even harder than climbing Mount Everest in the middle of a blizzard!"

Unfortunately, this false, twisted gospel of the modern Jesus is extremely popular these days: many people believe it and promote it as if it were the real thing. But that's a mistake; because accepting and promoting this perverted gospel has consequences--devastating consequences--both in the afterlife AND here on earth! We need to understand that. A priest from out in Illinois discovered this for himself not long ago. Apparently he and the members of his church council decided to take out an advertisement in a local paper in order to encourage the "unchurched" to become members of his parish. The ad stated that everyone would be welcomed at St. Maurice "regardless of lifestyle." This gave the impression that people would not be required to come to terms with their sins and repent of them. Well, Fr. Chuck ended up getting some very interesting letters in response to his ad. Here are some of them:

Dear Fr. Chuck,

I am delighted to learn that my "style of life" will be no bar to membership in your church. You see, I am a leader in the child pornography industry, and my Lutheran minister is always after me to get into what he calls a "decent" business. He's very judgmental. After I'm established in your parish, I would like to volunteer as a CCD instructor. Primary grades, preferably.

Yours happily,

Daniel ("Dirty Dan") Deere

Dear Padre Charles,

I am ready to bring myself and my entire congregation of 150 worshippers into your parish. This will be done if you assure me that you truly mean that lifestyle is no bar to membership and that you are anxious to welcome sinners. We are sinners in a big way, worshiping our master, Satan, with immense pomp and ceremony and expressing our fealty to him in every possible manner. Oh--any objection if we use your church Wednesday nights for our weekly rite of animal sacrifice? We promise to leave the sanctuary tidy, just as we find it.

Fervently yours,

Thurgood Pfouts

My dear Chuck,

I will drop in at the rectory to sign my husband and myself on as members. We like the part where you say you accept all lifestyles. Our lifestyle is one of ostentatious and conspicuous consumption. There are occasions (infrequent) when we need a membership at a church to impress certain people who think religion is important. I hope you understand that, as we spend every cent we get on cars and things, we will not be contributing anything to the collection plate. Our lifestyle forbids it.

Yours awfully,

Heddy Burston-Spaniels

Dear Pastor of St. Maurice,

My friends and I spend most of our free time blitzed on cocaine and other recreational drugs. We think that participating in your Eucharistic rituals while we are totally stoned would be cool beyond belief. So, here we come, lifestyle and all, seeking the ultimate trip and looking for new friends to lean on. We also sell drugs, so we will be attending your social functions. When is teen night?

Totally yours,

Buzzy Sinclair

Dear Reverend Chuck,

At last! It's about time a so-called Christian church declared itself broad-minded enough to accept alternative lifestyles. We nudists often have wondered how our personal lifestyle came to be universally and unjustly barred from public worship. Look for us to start attending your services regularly (you'll have no trouble recognizing members of our group). One question: Are ladies still required to have their heads covered during Mass?

Yours naturally,

Liz ("Sunny") McNabb

(Letters taken from This Rock magazine, Vol. 9, No. 3, March 1998)