6 May 2023

6 May 2023

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Today’s first reading states, “The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe” (Acts 13:48). This may seem odd that there are people “destined” for life with God. It points to the teaching of predestination that some are marked out for heaven. However, we might be more familiar with the Calvinistic teaching on double predestination, which argues that there are also people marked out for damnation. The latter is not what the Church believes. However, it is still strange to believe that there are people marked out for eternity, leaving us with the uncomfortable question about those not set aside for God.

This lingering question might have led Calvin to state predestination in a negative sense. However, Catholics believe that God is working to ordain everyone to divine life. In today’s Psalm (albeit in a portion we do not hear during the liturgy), it says, “Before the Lord who comes, who comes to govern the earth, to govern the world with justice and the peoples with fairness” (Psalm 98:9). God is coming to take dominion over the whole world and all the people in it. That means the Kingdom of God will include everyone! That is why the Gentiles in Acts are so excited. They hear that now they have been marked out, where at first they were not. It is a new development. If we are nervous about who might not be set aside, we can ask God to make it happen and trust that God will do it as promised in the Psalms.

St. Ignatius always encourages us to pray for what we want. Jesus reminds us of this in today’s gospel, saying, “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14). Pray for those who are far away from God or who do not yet know God that they may be marked out to have eternal life of joy and peace.