Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
The death and resurrection of Jesus had removed every barrier, and torn down all of the previously necessary divisions between peoples. As Paul wrote, there is now "neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (see Galatians 3:28). The temple had always been divided into different concentric spheres of access with the court of the Gentiles at the outside and then increasingly restrictive inner courts up to the Holy of Holies itself which could only be entered by the high priest once a year. But with the death of Jesus, "the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (see Matthew 27:51). The author of the letter to the Hebrews recognized that it was the tearing of the flesh of Jesus that truly opened the way for all the world to enter into the true spiritual sanctuary, "since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh" (see Hebrews 10:19-20). It was now possible for all peoples everywhere to truly worship "in spirit and truth" (see John 4:24).
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Salvation did not require complex preparation nor did it require any sort of moral perfection in advance. It required merely faith, leading one to obey God in making use of his chosen means of giving grace, of which baptism was preeminent. Without faith such means of grace would appear to be empty rituals without purpose. But Jesus would himself do all that he could to help all peoples come to recognize the truth of his message. From his seat at the right hand of God in heaven he would continue to work with his Church throughout the ages to confirm the word with accompanying signs. Even to this day demons are subject to the power of his priests, the Spirit teaches many to speak in new languages, and the providential care of God for his elect, protecting them against all manner of deadly things continues to be evident. Physical healings that defy scientific explanation continue to be documented. All of these things are meant to make the message of the good news more credible so that all might come to believe and be saved.
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (see First Corinthians 2:3-5).
Why do we ourselves not always see such signs? It is sometimes because we don't need them. Those who have faith aren't necessarily given signs merely to assuage emotional discomfort. They fit rather into a large and mysterious plan of God wherein they are beneficial for bringing people to faith. Very well, but should not such signs happen through us, if not necessarily for us? Of course we can't insist on being the self-important center of anyone's conversion. But are we really capable of the humility of Paul who was able to take a back seat and allow the power of the Spirit to take center stage? Maybe more will in fact happen through us if we learn to surrender more completely to God. But we aren't meant to fixate on the fascinating or get hung up on special effects. The advice given in Peter's letter this morning is always applicable:
So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
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