Thursday, March 31, 2011

No Neutral Zone

The Lord makes it very clear in today's Gospel (Luke 11: 14-23) that we must decide whether we are with Him or not. There is no in-between, no neutral zone. Because, as the saying goes, not to decide is to decide. And there has never been a more important decision. Using the discussion about demons, Jesus instructs the crowd that there will be no division in His house. All must be on board if they want to be part of the kingdom.
This is a difficult concept for us, since many times we want to do the least possible in order to derive the most benefit. We would normally prefer to sit on the sidelines and then join the winner without having put anything in jeopardy. But that is not possible when speaking about the Kingdom. We are called upon now to work, so that we can enjoy the rewards of eternal happiness. Jesus was clear that we will be judged on the countless ways we treat others, the small but important decisions we make daily to do God's will. And when we do not do what we know God wants, or even ask the question, He wants us to know that we have made a decision. If we are not trying to make the world better, we are hurting it. If we are not aligning ourselves with what God wants, we are going against God. If we are not with Him, we are against Him. There are no neutral zones in life, and no one gets into heaven through the back door.

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