Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

The Narrow Gate

Lectionary: 123

Reading 1 - Isaiah 66:18-21
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 117:1, 2
Reading 2 - Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Alleluia - John 14:6
Gospel - Luke 13:22-30

Our First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah speaks of a magnificent gathering. This vision is expansive, reaching out to distant coastlands and peoples who have not yet heard of God's glory. It speaks of a time when all people from all nations will be brought as an offering to the Lord, and some will even be taken as priests and Levites. This prophecy foreshadows the universal reach of God's salvation, a theme that resonates deeply with the Gospel.

Our Gospel Reading from Saint Luke presents a challenging counterpoint to this expansive vision. As Jesus journeys towards Jerusalem, teaching in towns and villages. We can picture Jesus resting during his travels, seated on a stump or a rock outside a town, or maybe on a low wall inside a town square. He is surrounded by a crowd of followers and curiosity seekers, speaking with them about God and the meaning of life. At one point, someone asks Him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?”

Of course, the obvious, and unspoken, question here is … am I saved? This is a question that has echoed through the ages, touching upon our deepest anxieties about salvation … even today, from time to time, you may even encounter “street preachers” asking that question of the crowds streaming by them … implying that salvation is as simple as declaring your faith in Jesus and trying to be good … and the proof of that salvation is that you are a member of the right group of believers. "The more things change, the more they remain the same” (Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.)

Most of the Jews at the time of Jesus thought that salvation was based on external factors, like affiliation, race and ritual.

• Many, in fact, believed that only Jews could actually live in communion with God. 
• That non-Jewish peoples, so they thought, were destined to be second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God, if they were accepted at all. 
• Others believed that you not only needed to be of the Jewish race to win God's favor, but you also had to follow even the most minute details of the Law of Moses, as well as the many ritual practices that had grown up around that Law. 

We don't know who the questioner was - it could have been someone who was concerned about salvation for themselves … or maybe it was someone who recently lost a loved one.

• however, It seems likely that it was someone who believed in eternal life, and was wondering if it was as hard to attain as the Pharisees said. 
• That few people will be saved was the opinion of the Pharisees, ancient Palestine's religious all-stars, and theirs was the prevailing view. 
• and there is also an implied question about whether or not the Pharisees, as a specific group, would be the only group that was saved. 

How does Jesus answer this question?

• He doesn't give a direct answer. 
• He doesn't say, "Only a few will be saved," as the Pharisees taught. 
• Neither does he say, "Everyone will be saved.” 
• Instead, he changes the focus from general statistics to the individual. 
• He looks at his questioner and says, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough." 

Scary words, blunt words, challenging words from the mouth of Christ. Most of us hear those words and instantly we examine ourselves to determine if we have done enough to enter. But what is the standard of holiness we believe we must meet to be worthy?

Are we repeating the error of the Pharisees, striving for the approval of God by how well we practice our faith? Or are we completely missing the message of Christ that he is the only way to the Father?

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us:

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9)

The narrow gate, understood as Jesus himself, means that our faith is not a moralism or a theory of ethics. Rather, it is a personal relationship! This suggests that Salvation doesn't depend primarily on external appearances, but on friendship with Christ, and that is rooted in our own hearts.

We do not enter the narrow gate because we are holy enough. We do not enter it because we have earned it by a life of sanctity, piety, and service. No, we enter it by realizing and embracing what Jesus has done for us. We cannot ever be holy enough, we cannot ever be good enough, we cannot ever do enough works of mercy or charity until we are rooted in Christ.

• It is not enough to have a superficial knowledge of Christ - like the people who said, "We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets." 
• Rather, we have to have a living, lasting, growing friendship with Christ. 
• That is what we were created for, and that is what will lead us to true life. 
• And since friendship always involves effort, self-sacrifice, and the investment of time and energy, the same thing goes for our friendship with Christ. 
• Salvation comes from actually following him, from striving to know him better and live out his teaching. 

This is what Jesus means by "the narrow gate.”

• To get through a narrow gate you have to leave behind all your excess baggage - you have to go through it on purpose. 
• It is possible to be labeled a Christian on the outside without really making an effort to follow the Christian way in our hearts. 
• It is possible to come to Mass, to be involved with parish activities, and still never really enter into a committed, life-changing, personal relationship with Christ. 

In essence, Jesus is telling the questioner: “Do not worry about abstract questions like the exact number or percentage of people who will end up being saved. Such knowledge will not be revealed to you and in any event would do you no good, one way or the other. Your concern should be for your own salvation because the path of salvation is not easy.” This is what Jesus means when He tells us to strive to enter the narrow gate …

• The Greek word translated as "strive" is "agonizomai" [agg-uh-nihd-zoh-my]. 
• Our English word agony comes from this Greek word. 
• It has the connotation of a supreme effort. 
• The Greeks used this word to describe the contests in their Olympic games. 

Passing through the narrow gate means going through the path of hardship, sorrows, disappointments and temptations. The narrow gate means crucifying our selfishness as well as the passion of lust and anger. St. Thomas Aquinas says: “Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do.”

Jesus is eagerly looking at us today, inviting us to break out of our comfort zones and start striving to follow him more closely; because the crown of glory is reserved for those who carry the cross to the end. The gospel of Matthew puts it clearly when it states ‘those who persevere to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).