21st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIM

 

Readings: Isaiah 66:18-21

Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Luke 13:22-30

 

 

"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many
will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

 

 

Christ's message on fire and division certainly gave us a hard break for a reflection. Christian life is indeed a constant struggle. While our calling guides us to those of the fit, the negative forces also pull us to those of the unfit. That is why the final count down is not only divisive. The gate that sets us to the ultimate glory is narrow and difficult. Although the call to salvation is universal, the entry into it is not that easy. Let us meditate on this central theme of today's gospel.

 

1. "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" We don't know exactly the intention of this someone who came to Jesus and asked him this question. Maybe, it was out of sheer curiosity or maybe, it was meant to simply get an assurance of salvation being a Jew. But whatever it was, perhaps we too, in one time or another, may have also asked ourselves with similar questions. Despite the seeming disinterest in religion, questions like - "Is there really heaven?” "Where will I go?” "Will I be saved?” - still occupy a place in everyone's heart.

 

Jesus takes this opportunity to teach once more about God's universal call to salvation. This is precisely the sense in Jesus' reaction. He out rightly dismisses the question founded on false belief. Being the chosen race, the Jews thought that they had all the monopoly of salvation. But the truth is just exactly the opposite. Salvation is for all. It is offered to everybody and indiscriminately, to both Jews and non-Jews, even to both saints and sinners. It gives no extra cultural, social and economic privileges. And it even goes beyond race and religion. The sun chooses not on where and what to shine. The rain selects not upon where and what to fall. The sun lights everything under it, as the rain waters anything under it. Surely, 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.

 

2. Despite this universality, however, Jesus insists on how narrow and difficult the gate is. God's universal salvific will coincides with man’s true happiness. Such happiness consists in his total liberation and self-realization both as a person and as a child of God. That is why the way towards attaining it can never be compatible with irresponsible and easy going life.

 

a. "Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” This expression means a total investment of one's energy. It is not a half-hearted trial and error process. Rather, it is doing a real and whole-hearted effort, using every good means at one's disposal. Indeed, it is taking the hard way, just as Jesus himself gained his glory through the hard way of Calvary. The reward is sweetest when gained through the hardest. Striving hard is just the right price of eternity. Certainly, the gate is just that narrow because what awaits inside is too wide and all-embracing. It answers every question and satisfies every longing. In fact, when one sits and eats at the table of God's kingdom, there will not be any question and longing anymore. He can eat and drink to the fullest and worry not about the "bill." By entering into it through the hard way, he has practically paid everything in fall.

 

b. "For many will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” Since the call is universal, we also expect a universal response. And this is no difficult to understand. Experience is again our best teacher. When it is time to plant, no one but only few come. But when it is already time to reap and eat, we must expect an uninterrupted line of people demanding for their share. Today's parable portrays a very similar scenario. When the door is finally shut for the banquet to start, there will still be countless souls who will keep on knocking at the door, pleading for their cause. Surprisingly, they will be carrying with them all types of identifications, visas and passports.

 

c. "We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets." This is the easiest way to identify themselves. Familiarity, relations and associations are usual vehicles for favors. This must be the disposition of the Jews since both their religious and secular history bespeaks of them as the chosen people. And this is true. In fact, because of this, we are told how God so favored them in many ways. It was even to their fathers that faith was endowed and to them that God's only Son was born. Literally, they ate and drank in the company of Jesus, and Jesus himself taught in their streets. In the same way, we feel some degree of assurance and security when we are “identified” with the church. At times, we even deal with salvation in business language. The more we put in the collection boxes or the larger the amount we give for donations, we feel we lessen the amount of guilt we have and heaven seems to be at our reach. At the day of reckoning, we have ready-made-answers like those of the outsiders in the parable: We are priests and religious," "We belong to a family of pious devotees," We are members of church organizations, movements and programs," We are workers in our basic Christian communities," "We are faithful observers of Sundays and other religious days of obligation," "We are daily communicants,” "Surely, we too ate and drank in your company!"

 

d. "I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!” This answer from inside the door is the saddest and the most painful part of the story. This answer consists of two statements, each statement a clear message.

 

First, all their identifications are insufficient. True, nothing escapes from his Providence. Every achievement is always recorded in the book of life. That is why these outsiders in the parable have reached the door. Perhaps, there were still many others who faded away along the road, or who simply lost courage to see how narrow and difficult it is. So, those who reached the door must be half-way fortunate. One of their failures, however, is to forget one very important and determinant document: “Certification of Good Works!" All other identification papers may only serve as supporting documents but they don't make any passage possible.

 

Second, some of them have indelible identification evildoings. They might have done good works too, but their evildoings certainly are much graver as to blot out the merits of the good ones. And we have good reasons to suppose this. There are just people who use the church and other charitable institutions to make good images of themselves. But behind this mask is the real soul that adores at the altars of hell.