Strive to Enter through the Narrow Gate, the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

    In our Gospel today, Jesus warned his listeners “to strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many . . . will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough” (see Luke 13:24).  We must remember this warning was part of a robust criticism Jesus had for some of leaders of the faith community of his time, particularly the scribes and the Pharisees, who claimed to follow the law of God perfectly, but who did so only by their external appearances.  In contrast to them, Jesus reminded those who truly desired to follow him that entrance into God’s kingdom would require complete dedication and genuine effort; there could be no “lukewarm” responses, and certainly no outright rejection of his message.

    Within this passage, Jesus also clearly proclaimed, in addition to those who should have merited automatic entrance into the kingdom (i.e., the Chosen People), the door would also be open to people of every land and nation.  This is made clear by his proclamation that “people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God . . . for behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (see Luke 13: 29-30).  And so it wasn’t simply one set of people, or one community of faith, that would be welcomed into God’s Kingdom, but all human beings would be heirs to this promise!  But even so, and keeping in mind Jesus’ criticism of those scribes and Pharisees, we understand he placed certain limits on his proclamation about the universality of God’s Kingdom.

  

    As we reflect on today’s scriptures, and Jesus’ warning about “the narrow gate,” we might want to think about our own contemporary “religious” perspectives and experiences.  In our own time, and in our own lives, has it become just as easy for us to be like those scribes and Pharisees of old, those very so-called “religious people” Jesus had criticized?  Like them, have we surrounded ourselves with all the trappings of religion, and then made false facades for ourselves with those things?  Have we too risked squandering the inheritance of future glory otherwise promised to us by our God?  Like those scribes and Pharisees, have the external aspects of our “religious” devotion, and our pride, enabled us to hide from the true responsibilities we have as people of faith?  Or instead, do we have the determination and the strength to follow the demands of our faith with all of our hearts, minds and souls?  Such questions may enable us to examine our consciences, and they may motivate us to make important self-reflections as we continuously ponder the authenticity of our faith commitments.

    Surely all of us, because we have embraced the Christian faith, believe we will be among the chosen.  We believe we are already counted among all those who have “come from the east and the west and from the north and the south.”  And we have confidence we will have the strength to be able to enter “through the narrow gate” and to be saved!  Even so, let’s not forget Jesus’ warning–lest we someday find ourselves “left outside” like those unfaithful scribes and the Pharisees, while we see others entering and enjoying the richness of the Kingdom of God, the heavenly banquet. 

     My friends, let’s live in hope that when we approach the heavenly gate, we will enter easily and will be welcomed to the table prepared for us in the Kingdom of God!

                   

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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