Salvation & Love
I am going to share based on 3 incidents of the gospel. Don’t exactly look for theological validity (just started theology today and that too in French. So you can forgive me), but I use a little imagination.
The three incidents are
- Story of rich young man, who followed all the commandments, but was unwilling to follow the invitation of Jesus for a radical following by selling everything he has.
- Story of the Centurion, who had an amazing faith. Jesus even said that he hadn’t seen a similar faith in the Israel also. His servant was healed.
- The story of Zaccheus. A tax collector experiencing a conversion in his life and decided to share his riches in higher proportions than he has extorted from.
Now who is the best model for a Christian life? A man living the commandements (not very easy to follow all those and say confidently like him) or a man of faith (we don’t know all dimensions of his faith, but he surely believed in the healing power of Jesus) or the transformed man.
When we are sure that rich young men went away sad, nothing is mentioned of the life of the Centurion (surely he loved his servant. I make a giant assumption-he continued his life as a normal Centurion). Now the crux point is a mention by Jesus in the 3rd incident.
Jesus mentions something very powerful to Zaccheus, “ salvation has come to this house.”
I make an imaginative leap here which may be problematic for a few, still..
A Christian vocation is an invitation to move even from an amazing faith to a faith that does justice/reconciliation… to a faith that loves. In similar veins, Paul will say that faith without love is useless.
I am not saying Centurion’s faith or following commandments is useless, but it can’t stop there, but to move towards Love for salvation…. Concrete actions of love, mercy and compassion
