The Way of Salvation

A Reflection on the First Reading for May 22, 2022:
Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Acts
15.1-2, 22-29

Certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the Apostles and the elders.

Then the Apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole Church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, with the following letter:

“The brothers, both the Apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.

“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood and from what is strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
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This passage from Acts describes how the early Church went through a process of discernment, asking the Holy Spirit to provide direction and clarity in a matter of conflict. The community was young, and her mission to share the Gospel to all nations implied that there would be both Jewish and Gentile Christians − and each culture had different values and traditions. Her leadership had to consider whether God was asking all of the Christian Church to strictly conform to the Mosaic Law in full, or if Gentile converts would not be under this obligation. In the end, they decided not to rigidly enforce the many aspects of the law and instead, chose to emphasize three essential elements. 

This event makes me think of this verse from Isaiah 43:19,
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

The Church’s decision reflected God’s mercy and was consistent with Christ’s mission and teachings. The people of Israel were never able to remain perfectly faithful to the law, because of sin and human weakness. However, Jesus prepares a new way − He is the only way − for us to become one with the Father. Personal effort and forcefully endured restrictions do not make us holy, but we become holy by surrendering ourselves to Christ who unites us to Himself and His perfect sacrifice of Love. Although there was a lot of goodness, truth, and beauty in the Mosaic Law, the Church had to acknowledge that the Law itself could not be considered the path to salvation. Jesus removed the heavy yoke that the Law placed on His People and carried it Himself, giving us a lighter burden we could actually hope to carry − while relying fully on His grace and strength. 

One of my favourite Saints, Thérèse of Lisieux, understood her weakness well and learned to appreciate how it helped her depend entirely on Christ. While reflecting on her desire to become holy, she said, “... God would not inspire unattainable desires; I can, then, in spite of my littleness, aspire to sanctity”. She wondered how she could “climb the rough stairway of perfection”, and God provided her a beautiful image in prayer of Jesus lifting her in His arms and carrying her to heaven, like an elevator. 

This analogy helps me understand how Jesus can help us reach our desired destination, heaven, in various ways. For some of us, He can help us climb steep stairs with great effort, and we can reach the top with Him. But for those of us who are infants in our faith, He can and will lovingly lift and hold us as He climbs the stairs. Either way, we will arrive.

May God always remind us of what is essential, and continue to reveal Himself to us as the Way of Salvation for all.
 



Kendra L.

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