Are you saved?
By telling the people to strive to enter through the narrow gate, Jesus makes it clear that the path to salvation is not easy. The way to God requires our undivided attention because it consists of an ongoing conversion of heart. The grace of God is always present, but we must do our part to receive it. Many people seem to think that salvation is practically a given. It is not uncommon to find people who will tell you that they have been saved. Some have given up the Catholic faith in exchange for a religion or belief that is more compatible with their way of thinking and one that accommodates their way of life.
We have often heard the question, “Are you saved?” If I were to answer that question, my response would be: “Well, I wouldn’t know until after judgment.” The path to salvation is a life-long journey of grace and repentance, the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of our friendship with God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, to be saved means to receive and accept the Good News of Jesus Christ, by repenting, receiving forgiveness, making amends, and making changes in our lives in order to know and to follow Christ.
St. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, wrote in his first epistle: “The way we can be sure of our knowledge of Christ is to keep his commandments. The man who claims, “I have known him,” without keeping his commandments is a liar, in such a one there is no truth. But whoever keeps his word, truly has the love of God been made perfect in him. The way we can be sure we are in union with him is, for the man who claims to abide in him, to conduct himself just as he did (1Jn 2:3-6).”
Many Catholics have convinced themselves that they can miss Mass on Sundays without any good reason. Many also believe that they can be good Christians without giving their time, talent or treasure to help the Church. It is like saying that we can love God while choosing to ignore the important ways in which He asks us to serve Him. But we can’t take salvation for granted and we can’t take the Good News of salvation lightly. We must strive to enter through the narrow gate. When the time comes, the door to the Kingdom of God will not be opened to those who merely claim that Jesus once visited their towns and villages or preached in their streets or that they once saw Jesus in a crowd. In the same way, the door will not be opened to those who claim to have had a Jesus experience but did not strive to keep his commandments.
Please take note of the Fall schedule for Chinese Language classes. Adult classes will begin on September 1 and will end on December 15. Kindly register with Michelle Tsai.
Please be on guard for scammers. The Archdiocese and several churches in the Atlanta area had been targeted by scammers. Pretending to be a priest, nun or staff members, they send email, call by phone or send a text to parishioners asking for help. Please do not give any help or give any information to anyone you do not know personally. Thank you for your cooperation.
Monday, September 2, is Labor Day. Mass in Chinese will be offered at 11:00am. There will be no Mass in English at 12:00pm.