The Rich Diversity of God's People

The world used to be a much larger place. At one time, people of different ethnic backgrounds and religions lived very separate lives. If they did not live in separate countries, there were different neighborhoods and ghettos for each class of people. No one ever strayed outside of his or her neighborhood or spoke with people of a different race or nationality. Even our churches were separated by language and ethnic backgrounds. There was the Polish parish on one corner, the Irish parish three houses down and the Italian parish across the street. Everyone lived in his or her own bubble, isolated from those who spoke different languages, worshiped differently and had different beliefs.

Today, the world is much smaller. People of different backgrounds live, work and go to school together. We shop at the same stores and eat in the same restaurants. People of different religions, nationalities and political beliefs are no longer strangers. They are our neighbors, co-workers and fellow parishioners. Their children are friends with our children. We are no longer able to isolate ourselves in ghettos to avoid mixing with those who are different from us.

Sadly, however, some of the same suspicion and hostility that existed when we lived separate lives continues to spill into life in the modern world. All over the world we see racial, ethnic and religious tensions. Immigrant and refugee populations are scapegoated for all the problems in society. There is an ongoing tendency instilled deep within us, often below our consciousness, to consider the person who is different as a threat to our livelihood. They are “strangers”. Their ways are strange to us and we would just as soon keep them at arm’s length if not avoid them altogether. When this is not possible, tensions become high often leading to violence.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to rise above our differences. As Saint Paul teaches us in his letters to the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). All of us are created in God’s image and likeness. All of us have been redeemed by Jesus. Differences in language, skin color and diet do not change the fact that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. There is never any just reason to exclude others because they are different from us. As Christians, we embrace all people as our brothers and sisters.

This also extends to people of different faiths. Our world is made up of people of many diverse belief systems and styles of worship. There are even many variations of Christian belief. Sadly, though we all preach the power of love, we have often let our differences become an excuse for intolerance and persecution. As Christians, we should be ready to admit that too often people have used religion as a pretense for violence and war. We should always be ready to condemn acts of violence perpetrated in the name of religion. Most importantly, we should be eager to work together with people of other faiths to build a world that is more welcoming, tolerate, peaceful and just.

As Catholics, we have historic reasons for believing that Jesus Christ founded the Church and that, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we have preserved His teaching faithfully over the centuries. However, that does not mean that we believe that there is no truth to be found in other Christian denominations or faith traditions. That does not mean that we believe that the Holy Spirit only acts through Catholics. We see in today’s first reading and gospel that God has His own agenda. He works in and through whomever He pleases to ensure that His will is accomplished. While we would not go so far as saying that all religions are the same, it does mean that we have something to learn from Protestants, Buddhists, Muslims and, especially our elder brothers in the faith, the Jewish people.

In his apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis challenges all people to embrace a “culture of encounter”. He wants us to transform our current culture of hostility, suspicion and isolation into a culture which seeks cooperation, dialogue and friendship with people of different races, nationalities, political affiliations and religions. This is why we so often see Pope Francis reaching out to people of other faiths and people of no faith. He understands that if we do not work together our world will continue its descent into chaos. The “culture of encounter” he is calling us to build goes beyond merely co-existing. It means more than tolerating one another. Rather, it begins with recognizing the image and likeness of God in all our fellow human beings, loving them as our brothers and sisters and working together to build a truly just and peaceful society.

This culture of encounter is not something that governments can create and regulate through laws. Rather, it is up to us as individual believers to build it. It requires all of us going outside of our comfort zones to reach out a hand of friendship to those who are different from us. It means taking the risk of being rejected. It means looking the other way when others offend us. It means being quick both to apologize and to forgive. It means taking the risk of speaking honestly and openly. Though it is not comfortable, it is our duty as Christians to live out the gospel by reaching out to all people and working together for justice.

Jesus teaches us in today’s gospel, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” It is time for us to stop looking upon those who are different from us as enemies whether they be immigrants, people of different races or those of other faiths. It is time for us to stop considering them strangers and begin to embrace them as brothers and sisters. Then, as believers, we will be a model to all of society of how this world which is getting increasingly smaller can live peacefully through faith in God who created all of us in His image and likeness.