ENTER BY THE NARROW DOOR

XXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 13:22-30

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah (66:18-21) speaks of God’s plan of salvation for all peoples: “I am coming to gather the nations of every language.” And from all nations, the Lord will choose  priests and levites to offer him praise and glory: “And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord.”

Certainly, God will not fail to bring his plan to fruition. However, we should never take God for granted. Sometimes, in our preaching, we give the impression that salvation is guaranteed since God wants everybody to be saved. If we believe, we are saved and we may be sure of our salvation. If we accept Jesus as our personal saviour, the gates of heaven are wide open for us. It sounds so easy! But is it so?

We may ask: Is everybody saved? If not all, are they many or just a few? A similar question was asked of Jesus: “Sir, will there be only a few saved?” Answering that, Jesus gives a clear warning: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” We cannot take salvation for granted. We may not succeed in entering the Kingdom of God. We may end up in failure. The door is narrow, meaning that it demands effort and perseverance, faithfulness and commitment. We must live as true disciples of Jesus Christ. Of course, we must believe in Jesus as the Christ and the Saviour of the world. However, faith is much more than an intellectual assent which proclaims our belief in Jesus Christ. Faith implies discipleship, and discipleship is the decision to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Salvation is indeed a gift of God’s loving mercy, which must be accepted with thanksgiving. Salvation is not something that we can get with our effort. It implies that God called us and we must answer wholeheartedly his calling. This answer of ours implies a way of life. We may trust God’s love and mercy, but we may never be so arrogant as to claim salvation as something which we earned and to which we have right.

In the letter to the Hebrews, we are given the following advice:

“So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread”. (Hb 12:12-13).

And the author of the letter compares our staying here on earth to training, reminding us that “suffering is part of your training”. We may be accused of masochism, but we don’t find joy in suffering. The reality is that, through life, we cannot avoid suffering, and when suffering comes our way we must allow God to transform it into a source of blessings.