Stephen Colbert is a well-known comedian,
political satirist and host of the Tonight Show. He is also a devout Catholic
(well as devout as a comedian can be), and even a religious education teacher
in his home parish. A few weeks ago, CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper, interviewed
Colbert. It was one of the best examples of quality television that I’ve seen
in years. Anderson Cooper’s mother died a few months ago and Colbert wrote
Cooper a condolence letter in which he spoke of the grief he experienced when
his father and two brothers died in a plane crash when he was 10 years old.
Much of the CNN interview explored the grief felt by the two men and offered
serious reflection on the role of suffering in life.
Colbert wrote in the letter to Cooper that over time he had the realization
that he was grateful for those things that he most wish had not happened.
Cooper asked him to explain the statement. Colbert explained that life is a
gift from God. If we believe that, then we should be grateful for the gift of
existence. If all of life is a gift from God, then we should be grateful for
all the gift-the good times and the bad. He certainly wished that his father
and brothers had not died in the plane crash. But he also pointed out that the
Catholic tradition tells us that God is love. God has given us the world, which
is an expression of His love. We are asked to accept the world with love.
Yet, it is a world with suffering. When we suffer, eventually we come to
realize that everyone suffers. Suffering is part of human existence and it is a
gift to exist. That realization allows us to acknowledge the suffering of
others. We become open to others letting them into to our hearts and responding
to them in love.
The death of his father shattered him and has impacted him in countless ways
over the course of his life. He wishes that it had not happened, yet he has
learned to be grateful for the grace that it brought into his life over the
years.
The Gospel reading a few weeks ago was from Luke. Jesus was on his way to
Jerusalem. Luke makes it clear that Jesus understands the suffering that he
will experience in Jerusalem. His preaching has taken a more ominous quality as
well. There is less talk about wedding feasts and more talk about doing the
Father’s will. As Jesus spoke about the cost of discipleship, the crowds became
smaller. People want the joy of the Kingdom of God, but they don’t want to hear
about the challenges faced on the journey to the Kingdom.
A common understanding in Jesus time was that salvation was about communities.
In the time of Moses, God intervened and brought the Jewish people out of
slavery. After the defeat by the Babylonians and the subsequent period of
exile, God intervened and brought the Jewish people out of captivity. The
promised Messiah will free the Jewish people from the yoke of Roman oppression.
In the minds of many, the Jewish people suffered as a people and they would be
saved as a people. Yet, Jesus is challenging his listeners. Salvation isn’t
just because you are part of a people that God has promised to save.
In the four Gospels the most common image of the Kingdom of God is a wedding
feast, that is a party; a gathering of friends, neighbors and relatives who are
eating, drinking, laughing, singing, dancing and having a great time. All are
invited to the wedding feast, but they must make the journey. Not
everyone desires to set out on that journey. Not everyone has the strength of
character to continue the journey to its end.
Jesus doesn’t deny the image of the Kingdom as a wedding feast, but he reminds
us that there is a journey involved to reach the wedding feast. That journey
will give us a glimpse of the Kingdom at times, but it will also take us
through difficult and dangerous territory. At times, it will lead us to places
we would rather not go.
“I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the
Father, except through me.” Jesus is the narrow gate through which we
enter the Kingdom of God. Yet, this isn’t about choosing Jesus like one might
choose a political candidate, a sports team or a famous entertainer. To enter
through the narrow gate on our journey to the Kingdom is to become like Jesus,
to follow where he leads, no matter how painful it may be and no matter how
much it demands changes in us.
Remember, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and to the crucifixion. He is aware
of what lies ahead of him on his journey to the Father. To follow him is
to make that same journey. When Jesus told his disciples to enter the narrow
gate, he knew that it would never be easy. Yet, if the narrow gate leads to
Calvary, it also leads beyond Calvary to resurrection and the Mount of
Ascension. It is a path that leads through suffering, but beyond suffering to
the Kingdom of God. It is a path of hope and light in the darkness.