The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Scripture readings for Sunday, March 1st: Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15)

A BASIC OUTLINE OF THE GOSPEL

In this week’s gospel reading, for the first Sunday of Lent, we have Mark’s version of the temptation of Jesus. Unlike Matthew’s and Luke’s account of this episode, Mark gives practically no details. In fact, he covers the whole event in just 31 words.

Mark’s writing style was simple and basic. He presented the plain facts about Jesus without a lot of extra explanation or secondary details. This is why his gospel is so much shorter than the other three.

Mark’s gospel is kind of like an outline or summary of the events of Jesus’ life. Speaking of outlines and summaries, I recently heard someone on the radio ask, “What exactly do you mean by ‘The Gospel’?” Well, I’d like to present here an outline and summary of the basic Gospel message, just in case you’re unsure of what Christians believe about Jesus. (In this context, the word “Gospel” means “good news,” the overall theme of Christianity, rather than its other use, when describing one of the four specific chronicles of Jesus’ life in the Bible—known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.)

This outline comes from a book titled, “The Life in the Spirit Seminars – Catholic Edition.” (The Life in the Spirit Seminar, by the way, is an wonderful program. My parish hosted a couple of them some years ago. If you ever see in your church bulletin that one will be held in your area, sign up immediately.)

The seminar presents the “basic message of Jesus” in a four-point summary called, “The Four Basic Truths” of the Gospel.

Truth number 1: “God loves you and wants you to live a full, happy life.”

It was out of love that God created you. He wants to share His love with you. In John 3:16, the Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

God wants you to know Him and experience His love, and live together in a community of love with all people. But why is it that most people do not experience this kind of love? The answer is…

Truth number 2: “Mankind is sinful and separated from God.”

As a result, you cannot know God’s love and share in God’s life with others. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 tell us, “The wages of sin is death.”

Mankind continually tries to reach God through his own efforts: ethics, philosophies, religions, trying to live a good life, etc. But the gulf between sinful man and holy God is too large. No one can ever reach Him.

Mankind’s separation from God results in mankind’s separation from one another. People cannot live together in love and peace unless there is first a spiritual change in them that only God can produce. How does this spiritual change take place?

Truth number 3: “Jesus Christ is the only one who can give you the power to live this abundant life.”

Through Jesus you can know God’s love and share in God’s life with others. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” In Romans 5:8, it says, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In Jesus, God became man and entered into the world to overcome the separation between God and mankind. He was able to bridge that huge gulf. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ made it possible for you to experience this abundant life. Through Jesus, God gives you the power to live your life with the kind of love and harmony which God intended for mankind.

But more is need than just knowing these facts. Just knowing who God is, and knowing the basic facts about Jesus, is not enough. Which brings us to…

Truth number 4: “You must accept Jesus Christ into your own life as Lord and Savior.”

When you do this, you can experience the power to live a new life. John 1:12 says, “To those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God.” Accepting Christ into your life is more than just believing that He was God and died for mankind, and more than just doing good works and following His moral teachings. It means entering into a personal relationship with Christ in which you receive His love and give your life to Him.

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter in…” So, you need to invite Jesus into your heart and make Him the center of your life.

That’s the basic outline of the Gospel message. It’s not very complicated. And it’s clear that Catholic doctrine is NOT some kind of false gospel based on trying to earn your way into Heaven by doing good works—as some of my friends in the Fundamentalist and Evangelical communities continue to insist.

Just like St. Mark’s writings this week, it’s short, it’s sweet, and best of all, it’s TRUE. If you’ve never contemplated “The Four Basic Truths” of the Gospel, now would be a great time. You have nothing to lose (except your soul), and everything to gain (such as eternal life in Heaven).

©2009