“…people from east and west, from north and south will come to take their places.”

It is no secret that the ethnic diversity evident in T&T is a function of the various diasporas from which our population has emerged.  Now with relatives/friends on every continent, we continue to gather to celebrate our significant milestones and our national/religious festivals. Weddings, funerals, Christmas and Carnival celebrations for example, create “gatherings’ of one kind or another.

Today Jesus speaks of a feast in the kingdom of God (Rev 19:9) to which “men from east and west, from north and south will come to take their places.” – the bridegroom and His bride at the wedding feast of the Lamb. The ecclesia – the People of God gathered for liturgy.

The concept of gathering/ingathering is fundamental to Jewish theology. The Hebrew word for gathering connotes more than mere “coming together” – it also suggests healing, liberation, rescue, help, redemption, reconciliation, salvation and unity.

The theme of “gathering “ is therefore at the heart of salvation history.  It should not be surprising therefore, that the theme is central to the books of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

As a result of original sin, original harmony/unity was destroyed. God has been calling humankind back to the harmony ever since. He has been trying to “gather” a people by covenanting Himself to them.

The Book of Deuteronomy (30:1-6) “anticipates” the exile of Israel in the sixth century BC when it says:  “Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather, and from there He will bring you back.” God in Abraham chose the people of Israel but God’s plan of salvation always included all the peoples of the world.

Jesus says He came for the lost sheep of Israel but He warns the Jews that they may experience  “weeping and grinding of teeth” as they find themselves “turned outside.”  The “gathering” is not by genes – not by being of Abraham’s stock; neither is it a social event: “we once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets.”

Rather, it is the result of the acceptance of God’s gifts of faith, leading to a profound commitment of one’s whole life to God, and to the purposes of His kingdom.

Pope Benedict, writing as Cardinal Ratzinger says: “The real locus of the Church is not some kind of bureaucracy or the activity of a group that considers itself ‘basic’, but a coming together – that is the assembly in which the whole community comes together….and in which the union of the whole Church is preserved.”

The third Eucharistic Prayer specifically refers to this: “Father, you are holy indeed…From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west, a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.” Clearly, gathering is for liturgy, for identity and for mission.

Today Isaiah says: “I will give them a sign,” by which he means that Jerusalem will be preserved and become the focus of all the nations of the world which seek authentic worship of God. Some Israelites erroneously thought of themselves as having exclusive access to God’s favour.

In the same way, some Catholics erroneously thought that only Catholics would be saved. Vatican II (Lumen Gentium 1 #8) states clearly that the Church of Christ “subsists in the Catholic Church…Nevertheless, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside its visible confines.” 

“Will there be only a few saved?” This question should challenge us to be wary of the complacency of being a “born Catholic.”  Let us remember that it is only “those who persevere to the end” who will be saved.  Faith consists both in the belief of the existence of one personal God and in the belief that God will reward all efforts spent in searching for Him. 

As we prepare to “gather” for our celebrations for Independence 2007, let us as a people continue to meditate on the possible purposes of God for having brought us, from east and west and north and south in our various ethnicities, to this Caribbean region in general, and to T&T in particular. HAVE A BLESSED INDEPENDENCE!

Lord, we give you thanks and praise for the blessings and challenges of the past forty-five years.  Many are the gifts you have blessed us with, and indeed, many are the times we have misused them or taken them for granted.  Forgive us Lord, and give us the grace to treasure our abundant natural resources, and the unique talents of our people. 

As we gather to celebrate another anniversary of Independence, we pray that you would hold up our limp arms and steady our trembling knees. Give us courage to face the future unafraid, and prepare us to take our places at the feast in the kingdom of God.  Amen.

Gospel Meditations for August are by Kenneth and Bernadette Phillips, catechists of St Joseph’s parish, Scarborough.