The Relationship Behind the Rules

Why would I want everyone to be Catholic? Because it's true. But also because then they'd be brought into a new and the most powerful relationship with the true and living God. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascension Presents. A number of years ago, I was talking with a family member,. Um it was interesting. Uh they had heard me talking a lot about uh here I work on the campus at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and how I was saying regularly that I want everyone, I want every faculty member, every staff member, every And they heard me say this again and again this somehow about how you know we want to get the gospel out there and want everyone to become Catholic. And they said at one point, like, I get it, but like isn't that kind of mean? What do you mean is that isn't that kind of mean? Well isn't it kind of mean for everyone to become Catholic because then they have to follow all the Catholic rules. It was if you become Catholic, the thing you're really saying yes to is you're saying yes to the rules. And isn't it kind of just like, let them just not have to say yes to the rules? And I thought that is very fascinating. First of all, it's fascinating because it kind of reveals something, right? It reveals something about our hearts. And you might have thought that in the past too. You might have thought, gosh, I I love these people. They're in my life. Um but I don't know if I wanted to be want them to be Catholic because we're putting a heavy burden on their shoulders. I think the first thing it reveals is it reveals that uh it reveals something about how we see our faith. Because if you're a professing Christian or professing Catholic, you recognize that that yeah this is this relationship comes with some responsibilities . But we can ask the question : am I more focused on the responsibilities than on the relationship? Am I am I am I more focused on the rules than on the relationship? And I've talked to many people who have said something similar, that sense of, gosh, if they become Catholic, they have to follow all the rules. And I want to ask the question, oh, is that how you see being Catholic? Is it just the rules? As a high schooler and going into college, I was reading through the gospels and I came across these little sections and a couple of the gospels that were entitled The Conditions of Discipleship. Here's Jesus who even says this. He says, if you if you want to be my disciple, you must deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me. Like these are the conditions for discipleship. You must deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. So it's not as if Jesus is like, no, don't worry about it. No, there are rules. In fact, later on, Jesus says, if you love me, keep my commandments. So there there are rules, right? There are responsibilities that we have to live up to, and we have to we're that we're called to strive for at least. So yes, anyone who says, gos h, why should they be Catholic? They have to follow all the rules. They're not wrong. But there's a bigger question at stake here. There's a bigger thing at stake. Again, the heart of it is, oh man, is that all you see this as ? Is going to church because that's the rule? Is is prayer because that's the rule. Is is living a a a life that you're striving after virtue, is that are we only doing that because it's the rule? It doesn't just reveal something about our hearts, it reveals something about how we see the world. And it reveals something about how we see God. Is God just the uh the cosmic taskmaster or the cosmic police officer who's watching our every move in order to catch us doing good or catch us doing bad . Or is God the God revealed to us in Jesus ? The Father who who loves us, the God who would go to the furthest extent to bring us back home. I mean, think about this: the God of the universe who wants a relationship with you and with me. And we're fixated on what? We're we're fixated on, well, what are the rules? What what are the things you're gonna ask of me? I mean, think about what what do we get? We know this, right? That real relationships they have real responsibilities. Of course they do. But real relationships also have real rights. So here's a question: What do you get out of this? And the first answer is salvation, right? The first answer is the recognition that as hum an beings, we are born under in slavery to sin, right? We're born under the dominion of the evil one. We're born subject to death. And I think we forget this. I think we forget the fact because we look around and say, we're fine. We look around the world like I'm okay. I'm kind of no different than anyone anyone else. Not realiz ing that in so many ways you can say it like this, because it's how people have said it and how the scripture has said it, as the human race, we're doomed to destruction, like on our own we are separated from the father on our own we're ch arted of course to spend eternity without God And it's only Jesus who makes it possible for us to have salvation. Only Jesus makes it possible for us to not be on that course to spend eternity apart from God, but to be with God and to be in the midst of love for eternity. Why would I say as to this? Okay, let's be a mercenary. Like, have a mercenary heart. Say, actually, I 'll follow after him because why? Because of salvation. Not just because someone told you the story , but because it's true. Again, why should they be Catholic? Well, not because I want them to be, or because someone else wants them to be, but because it's true. We say this to our students all of the time. The only reason to believe anything is because it's true. C.S. Lewis said it like this. He said, Christianity, if false , is of no importance . And Christianity, if true, is of absolute importance. The only thing that Christianity cannot be is marginally important . Again, if it's false, then don't bother with it. Like put an end to it. But if Christianity is true, it is of absolute importance to become Catholic. Why? Not because I want it, or because you think it'd be nice, but because it's true, so many of us might have heard the truth, but we haven't discovered the goodness of God. We haven't discovered the the beauty of what it is to actually belong to the Father, to belong to the Son and Holy Spirit , just we don't know the we don't we haven't tasted the goodness of the Lord. And I wonder about that when it comes to my family members or when it comes to uh people I know our students sometimes who just will reduce being Catholic to the rules, they have not yet tasted the goodness of the Lord . Why would I want everyone to be Catholic? Because it's true . But also because then they'd be brought into a new and the most powerful relationship with the true and living God . Now you may have never experienced that, you may have never like felt that. But also I'd ask, have you have you tried for it? Have you opened yourself to receive his love ? I think sometimes when we get fixated on on the challenges of Christianity, and there are, right? We already established that. I think that stops us. Example, uh, G.K. Chesterton, right? He said famously, he said, uh, Christianity hasn't been tried and found wanting. It's been found difficult and left untried. I think we sometimes find like, oh. gosh, this is difficult See this thing. I think I have to reprogram my whole heart. And the truth is, this is just the first movement of Christianity is just to receive . To receive the offer, offer of life, to receive the offer of of of forgiveness, to receive the offer of a whole the Holy Spirit, to receive the offer of love . The number one Chris question in Christianity or, if in Catholicism is this, we make it so complicated, we make it about rules. There are rules, of course there are. Again, Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. Commandments are aka rules. But the question that God is asking us is: Does God have your permission to love you as you are? That's what it is to be Catholic. Does God have your permission to love you as you are? Too often We just jump over it. We jump over that to the okay, if I do, if I if he does have permission to love me as I am, what am I gonna have to do? Well, you have to give him permission to love you as you are . And as you receive his love , to love him back. As you receive his love, to let that love actually reprogram your heart. That's the thing that program reprograms our heart. That's the thing that restructures our lives. It's not just us white-knuckling it . It's not just us following rules for rules' sake. It is us following rules for the relationship's sake. I mean, this here's the last thing . To say, gosh, why would you want to be Catholic? You have to follow all the rules, is similar to saying, why would you want to get married? Because then you'd have like someone who can tell you what to do. You have to do all the married things . To say that to someone who's in love and engaged and getting prepared to get married would sound ridiculous to them. Because yeah, they're like, of course, of course, there are going to be rules in our marriage. Of course there are gonna be rules in this relationship . But this relationship changed my life . And I would do anything . And I'll promise, I'll vow the rest of my life to be able to be loved by this person and to love them in return. That's a real relationship, right? That's a real relationship. And that real relationship, a marriage, has real rights and has real responsibilities, is real joys and real love. And that is exactly what Christ is offering us in the church . You know, whenever people come into the Catholic Church, OCIA, Easter Vigil, whatever , or even just not at the Easter Vigil, anytime . They're saying yes, not because they're like, wow, these are the best rules ever. No one says you guys have the best responsibilities. It's because at some level they have been conquered by the love of God in Jesus Christ. At some level, they've answered the question: Does God have permission to love you as you are? And they've said, yes. And they've tasted that love. I want you to taste that love too. I want you to experience that love. And in order to experience that love, answer the question: Does God have your permission to love you as you are? If so, let him feed you in holy communion. A mass. If so, let him heal your heart and forgive your sins in reconciliation. If so, let him guide your steps . So that we walk that path of virtue . Let him reprogram your heart. So what you learn to love is the most lovable . Does God have your permission to love you as you are? Well, that means you get to have a real relationship with Him . And real rights and real responsibilities . And I think that's a