When Jesus asked who people thought he was, Peter spoke and
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven."
I believe this applies to all of us. What we believe is ultimately by the grace of God. Other humans may have influenced us by their love to be open, but it is by the mysterious and generous will of God that he communicates his truth to us individually. It would be wrong to flaunt our gift of faith and to criticize or condemn others for not yet receiving it. By doing so we only postpone that day. If we have truly received such a supernatural gift it will show in how we are transformed to love others, all of them God's dear children. God's ways are not our ways. He will call his scattered sheep in his good time, some like the field labourers, late in the day, yet receiving the full reward. If some don't hear should we blame them? Do we blame the deaf for not hearing? Perhaps we should use sign language: our actions, our love for each other, by which sign we will be known. If many remain outside his flock might we be part of the reason? Can they not hear because of the noise we make and how we diminish the Church in their eyes? The best we can do is to quietly serve our neighbours as did the good Samaritan, as did Jesus washing feet, joyfully living our faith. There is much we can share and celebrate with people of good will if we don't exclude them for not being Catholic.
We can rest assured that we are all, born and unborn, in God's hand, freeing us to humbly love and serve him according to the talents he gives, each in our own way, each in His time.
