Closet Christians

Opening all the doors in our hearts to Christ  

Matthew 8:5-11  

           When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”  The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.”   

          I have a curious custom whenever I bless someone’s home. When I bless a house, I bless the whole house, including closets, and bathrooms, and attics. Some people’s eyes become the size of saucers when I say that. Do you think that’s why I don’t get invitations to bless homes anymore? But I quickly explain that blessing a home means inviting Jesus into every corner and crany and closet of your home, which is really a symbol of inviting him into every corner of your heart. Sometimes we’re afraid to let Jesus see our closets where we hide our still un-Christians lives and our un-Christians loves. We are not ready for Jesus to rule and be king over everything.   

          In his homily this past Sunday, Bishop Robert Barron probed deeper into making Christ’s kingdom more complete. He asked these provocative questions: “Is your private life ordered to God and his purposes? Is your professional life attuned to the worship of God? Is your family life under the aegis of God?” (Don’t worry, I had to look up the meaning of “aegis,” too.) He went on: “Does your mind belong to Jerusalem? See what I’m driving at? Your mind seeks all sorts of things; your mind is preoccupied by all sorts of things in the course of the day. Is it above all preoccupied with the things of God, or is your mind filled with a lot of trivial matters?” In other words, Bishop Barron is pointing out all the “closets” in our hearts where we do not want Christ to enter. We are “closet Christians.”  

 

          In the gospel today a Roman Centurion also hesitates to let Jesus inside his home. You all remember the context: what the soldier says is actually an act of extraordinary faith. Indeed, Jesus praises him for it by announcing to all his hearers: “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” So, the solider is to be commended for his faith. But I believe we would be remiss if we concluded that the Centurion’s faith was therefore perfect. He still had more work to do: to grow in that faith, to build a real and lasting relationship with Jesus, to become Jesus’ friend, to become Jesus’ disciple. His great statement of faith was a tremendous first step; but his journey with Jesus had just begun. In other words, his reluctance to have Jesus “enter under his roof” sounds a lot like today’s Catholics afraid of letting me bless their closets. The Centurion, too, was a closet Christian.   

          My friends, ask yourself today, like Bishop Barron did: what are the closets I don’t want Christ to see and save? Sometimes we tend to leave our faith on the front steps of the church as we leave Mass, and live like everyone else the rest of the week. Our un-Christian closets could be called “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.” Some people don’t invite Jesus into their intimate life as spouses. We hear the slogan, “Keep God out of the bedroom!” Our sex-life becomes an un-Christian closet. Here in the United States we have built a wall of separation between Church and State, and we believe religion does not belong in politics. This past Friday I baptized Daisy Northey, the granddaughter of Senator John Boozman. Afterwards, he invited me to say the prayer before the U.S. Senate meets in session. Senator Boozman doesn’t want the U.S. Capitol to be an un-Christian closet.   

          On October 22, 1978, the newly-elected Pope John Paul II delivered his first homily as the Holy Father. He said basically what I say when I bless a home, he said: “Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power, open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows ‘what is in man,’ He alone knows it.” Folks, Jesus already knows what’s in your closet.   

          Praised be Jesus Christ!