Why I Wrote About the Synod on Synodality and LGBTQ+ Issues
Heaven’s promises for salvation are not new. From time immemorial, God has sent messages of hope of redemption and promises of an eternity with Him in glory.
As I wrote in my previous article “Heaven’s Warnings Are Not New; We Need to Pay Attention,” God has repeatedly warned humanity about its conduct and the eternal consequences thereof. Bear with me but I am going to deliberately repeat some of what I wrote in my previous article. This is because God often pairs a warning of judgment with a promise of salvation.
For example, to the people of Israel, God spoke through his prophet Isaiah:
"Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, you shall be eaten by the sword: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!" (Isaiah 1:18-20)
Notice here that God warns about the severe consequences of sin but He also offers the promise of forgiveness and redemption. He offers forgiveness to us if we accept His offer.
Jesus did the same in his ministry on Earth. For example, Jesus said the following to his disciples: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him” (John 3:36).
Notice here that Jesus warns of the “wrath of God” for those who disobey the Son of God but he also offers the promise of eternal life for those who believe in the Son of God.
Adam and Eve willfully disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Yes, they were deceived by the devil into doing so but they bear ultimate responsibility for their actions because it was their choice to act upon the devil’s deceptions. (See Book of Genesis Chapter 3).
Ever since Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, God has been offering warnings about humanity’s conduct but also promises of redemption as well. One of the major themes of the Old Testament is God’s promise of a redeemer (Messiah) to redeem humanity from its sinfulness and restore what was lost by Adam and Eve’s first grievous sin. That promise is repeated time and time again throughout the Old Testament.
In Isaiah 9:5-6, God says “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, upon David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains, by judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!”
In Isaiah 42:1, God says, “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased. Upon him I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations.”
In Bethlehem, God’s promises of a Messiah were fulfilled in a humble manger. The Son of God was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His entire Earthly life was the fulfillment of God’s promise of redemption, culminating with his Crucifixion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. The Gospels and the other books of the New Testament bear witness to this fulfillment of God’s ultimate promise: His Son as Savior of humanity.
God has repeatedly and periodically sent warnings to humanity about its conduct. God has done this because He is a loving and merciful God who wants what is best for us. He did not create humanity to arbitrarily and capriciously destroy it. As Jesus said to Nicodemus in St. John’s Gospel,
“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-7)
In this passage of St. John’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking directly to Nicodemus, but he is also speaking to each of us individually across time and to all those yet to be born. He is speaking and living a message of love. God is love (First Letter of St. John 4:7-12) and God’s love walked the Earth to more fully demonstrate His love for us. “In the love that pours forth from the heart of Christ, we find hope for the future of the world,” wrote Pope St. John Paul II in Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a New Millennium ((NY: Rizzoli, 2008): p.168). “Christ has redeemed the world: ‘By his wounds we are healed’ (Is 53:5).”
At various times since Adam and Eve’s first sin, God could have utterly destroyed humanity in its entirety for its misconduct, sin and disobedience. At various times, He has inflicted just punishment upon people for their sins. For humanity’s wickedness, God sent a Great Flood upon the Earth, sparing only Noah and his sons (Genesis Chapters 6 through 9). God obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual depravity and homosexual sin (Genesis 19:1-19). God allowed the Assyrians to conquer the Northern Tribes of Israel and disperse them because of their idolatry and disobedience (See 2 Kings 17:1-19). God allowed the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and carry off those in the Kingdom of Judah to prolonged captivity because of their idolatry and disobedience (See Jeremiah Chapter 52). As Pope St. John Paul II wrote in his 1980 encyclical Dives in Misericordia, “Even when the Lord is exasperated by the infidelity of His people and thinks of finishing with it, it is still His tenderness and generous love for those who are His own which overcomes His anger” (See https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_30111980_dives-in-misericordia.html#%241E )
Despite humanity’s failings, God remained true to His promises. Rather than destroy humanity completely, God sent His only Son into the world to redeem humanity. Again, I must reiterate John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”
God’s promises did not stop with Jesus’s Ascension into Heaven. Jesus promised that he would return again to destroy death and sin once and for all and establish God’s Kingdom for all eternity. As was revealed in the Book of Revelation (21:1-4):
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.”
God has also conveyed His promises through Mary Mother of Mercy and various saints over the last two millennia. In appearing to people throughout the centuries and most especially in the last two centuries, Our Mother has shared messages of hope and directs us to repent and turn our hearts to her Son.
In the past, God has fulfilled His promise of a Savior. In the future, He will fulfill his promise of eternal salvation. In the present, we should embrace His promises and live accordingly. As Jesus has so undeniably demonstrated, we have no reason to doubt God’s love and faithfulness in fulfilling His promises.