21st Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)

 Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time (C) [Lk 13:22-30]

21.08.2022

Entering through the Narrow Door

Readings: (1) Is 66:18-21 (2) Heb 12:5-7.11-13

1.    Theme in brief

To strive for one’s salvation

2.    Focus Statement

Only those who strive to walk through the narrow door of sacrifice and suffering and seize the present opportunity given by God will be saved.

3.    Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel, as Jesus was heading towards Jerusalem, someone on the way asked him whether only a few would be saved ultimately (13:23). Instead of answering that question directly, Jesus made use of the occasion to teach three great lessons about the requirements to attain salvation: (1) striving hard or making serious efforts to attain it because of the narrowness of the door (13:24); (2) the urgent attention to be paid to attain it because of the shortness of time left for the door to be shut (13:25); and (3) careful examination of our hearts to see whether we really live by the values of the gospel, because once the door is shut it will be shut for ever (13:28-30).

May be the question asked by a certain follower was a wrong question. He should have asked not how many will be saved, but how can one save oneself. Jesus said that salvation required an earnest ‘striving.’ The Greek word used for striving implies the great efforts, struggles and agonizing exercises done by athletes to win their medals. This sort of rigid exercise is needed to attain salvation because the door is narrow and exclusive, and not wide enough to include everybody. Here Jesus might have referred to himself as the one and the only door through which one could reach the Father. This corresponds to what he says in John’s gospel that he is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (Jn 14:6). Or, in another place he says: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved” (Jn 10:9).

By asking his followers to enter through the narrow door or gate, Jesus also might have referred to the sacrifices, suffering and trials involved in following his way that led to salvation. The very fact that Luke placed this saying of Jesus as he was heading towards Jerusalem to suffer and die a sacrificial death on the cross (13:22), indicates that a disciple should be willing to walk through the same narrow path. Here Jesus might have referred to what he had said in another place: Attainment of salvation does not depend on calling him ‘Lord, Lord,’ but striving to do what he tells his followers to do (Lk 6:46). It involves not only coming to him and hearing his words but also acting on them (Lk 6:47). It also involves walking with him to Jerusalem (as he himself was heading towards it at the moment) to face suffering. He said that salvation required hard efforts because many would try to enter but would not succeed (23:24). Why? The reason was that Jesus did not know them really though they ate and drank with him (23:25-26). They knew him only casually, but were not so intimate with him. They did not take the gospel to heart and never bothered to be constantly converted to its values.

Though the door to salvation is very narrow, it is always open and there is a possibility of entry for everybody because of the ample opportunities given by God. But when all opportunities are exhausted, finally it will be closed. Once the door is shut, any amount of pleading that one was physically close to Jesus, ate and drank with him ( probably refers to Eucharistic meal) and belonged to a particular race would not work (13:25-27). In spite of all these privileges, the Lord would not remember even where the knocker at the door came from (23:25). Here Jesus might have referred to his second or final coming to judge the world at the end of time. In God’s heavenly Kingdom there would be the great patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and all the prophets (13:28), not because of their status as patriarchs and prophets of Israel but because of their faith-commitment. Besides, there would be people from east and west, north and south (13:29). These late-comers from all nations were the Gentiles with whom the Church’s mission was very effective (in Luke’s community). But many among the first-comers who thought their ethnic origin or lineage or religious traditions would guarantee a seat for them in the Kingdom of God would lose it. Instead, the people whom they despised and rejected – tax-collectors, sinners and Gentiles – would gain their seats because they entered through the narrow door that led to Truth and Life (Jn 14:6). Thus, some of those who were considered last would become first to enter God’s Kingdom and some of those who were called to be the first would become the last ones (23:30).

4.    Application to life 

Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that we should not be very casual about our salvation so as to give it a half-hearted attention. Instead, we should feel the pinch of struggles and sacrifices involved in attaining it. It is like the efforts involved in entering through a narrow door. If you ask the athletes who win a gold medal in Olympic Games about the secret of their success, I am sure, none of them would say: “I took it easy. It was a great fun like eating a piece of cake.” All of them must have kept the gold medal as the focus of their life and gone through rigorous and ‘agonizing’ exercise to achieve this goal. The word used in Greek language in today’s gospel for ‘striving’ to win salvation also means ‘agonizing’ efforts like striving after this Gold Medal.

Though the Kingdom of God or salvation is a free gift of God offered to all, including the worst of sinners, we have to respond to it by repentance and sacrifices. Living out our faith in Jesus often involves a struggle and walking the narrow way of the cross, sacrifices and trials even up to Calvary. We must make ourselves worthy of the gift of salvation by struggling to overcome evil with good all throughout our lives. We have to strive or struggle at all moments to make a decision in favour of Jesus. When we decide to stand by Christ’s values at any cost, sometimes we have to enter through the narrow door of opposition, ridicule, sacrifices, loneliness and lack of support. To resist secular values such as materialism, consumerism, power-mongering, money-mindedness, status, etc., we need to everyday strive to say ‘no’ to these values, be willing to swim against the general current and walk through the narrow door of sacrifices or suffering. It is going to be a fight – a painful strife or struggle against all the anti-Christ or anti-gospel forces in the world.

We have to combat against not only all the worldly or secular forces outside us but also our own sinful nature (or to use St. Paul’s language, the forces of the “flesh” inside us). There are friends, companions and ‘well-meaning’ neighbours and relatives who tell us: “There is nothing called sin. Nowadays, who bothers that ‘religious stuff.’ All are doing that thing you call sin.” Jesus asks us to strike at the root of our indifferent attitudes and tendencies towards making compromises with the worldly standards.

It is not enough to have a causal acquaintance with Jesus. Nor is it enough to say that we are regular church-goers and pay your dues to the church unfailingly. That does not earn for us a free pass to enjoy eternal salvation. We need to enter into more and more, deeper and deeper intimacy with him and grow day by day in holiness. Instead of trusting in our own merits of church-attendance and saying “Lord, Lord” mechanically, we are called to trust in Jesus who is the only ‘Door of Salvation.’ This will surely involve a daily ‘striving’ or struggle against all the anti-gospel or worldly forces. More than making efforts to know about Jesus we need to know Jesus by trying hard to practice his gospel-values. Till the end of our days on earth, each day we should strive to enter through that narrow door, the door of unshakable faith in God and service to humanity as taught and lived by Jesus. This is the sure way of earning a ‘seat’ in God’s Kingdom to sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets (13:28).

Our struggle to attain salvation also involves a regular approach to Jesus as broken-hearted sinners and begging for his mercy by repentance. We should keep our struggle alive and active till the Lord will one day shut the door of our life as he comes to judge us. Salvation is not a light matter; it requires hard efforts and an urgent attention! Therefore, instead of asking about other people, “Will they be saved?” each one of us must ask whether I will be saved. Today’s gospel invites us not to remain a Christian for name’s sake and superficially attend church out of routine or for social respectability, but to be converted to the way of the gospel so that we shall not be shut out at the end. Therefore, today Jesus warns us not to falsely assume that we shall automatically become members in the kingdom of God just because we are baptized and claim to be Christians. Heaven is not guaranteed to us just because our name is written in the baptismal register, or we proclaim Christ’s name in preaching and worship or participate in the Eucharist (or to use the gospel words, eat and drink with him, 13:26). If we spend one or two hours with Jesus on Sundays and stay far from him rest of the days, we will not be easily recognized by him because of lack of familiarity./.

The Jews in Jesus’ days wrongly assumed that they would automatically be included in the Kingdom of God just because they were descendants of Abraham. Many of the Jewish rabbis held the view that all Israelites would be saved except a few who were deliberately breaking God’s laws. Jesus tells his listeners in clear terms that their position as chosen people does not automatically guarantee their entry into the Kingdom of God. Secondly, he states that that many Gentiles “from east and west, north and south” (that is, from all nations) would gain membership in God's Kingdom. But the chosen people could be excluded if they refused to strive to enter by the narrow door or the only door, that is, himself. 

If that is the case, will it be different for religious leaders of our times? Just as Jesus said that the Jews were wrong in their assumption, he tells us also the same. The same thing may happen to us if we do not make efforts or sacrifices to live the gospel seriously. Finally, when the door will be shut, any amount of knocking at the door saying, “Lord, open to us,” will get the only reply: “I do not know where you come from” (13:27). So now is the best opportunity for us to grow in holiness and move from casual acquaintance with Jesus to a personal and intimate relationship with him, to move from negligence to careful attention to our spiritual growth. The stakes are so high and irreversible. Another danger for us – especially for those among us who have gone through long years of religious training in the fields of theology and spirituality – is to relegate religion to academic and theoretical discussions only, or to take it rationally on head-level only. It is not enough to listen to spiritual talks and homilies to get new ideas to preach to others, but we must apply its contents first to our own lives.

We are often tempted to avoid this narrow road (door) and prefer to walk through a broad way of pleasure, worldliness, opportunism, comfort and convenience. It is something like the pleasure of driving on the ‘Four-lane Highway’ and avoiding the narrow lanes. All of us are so much attracted to the modern ‘comfort culture’ that we cannot suffer even the little inconveniences, discomforts and hardships which our ancestors were used to. Our comfort culture leads to the following highway as opposed to the narrow way of Christ: avoidance of all hardships and sacrifices to realize our life’s mission; unwillingness to take even smaller risks or to suffer for a cause; a desire for seeking guarantees and securities before venturing into any new field of activity; refusal to go to places where all the modern comforts and facilities are lacking; and compromises with corrupt ways of the world in order to avoid personal inconveniences and troubles.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we experience the struggle or fight in our minds, families and workplaces when we have to resist secular values in order to be faithful Christian disciples? Is there a tendency in us to avoid or evade all crosses (sacrifices) and selectively follow only those teachings of Christ that suit us or are convenient to us? Have we become victims of modern ‘comfort culture’ in such a way that we always look for personal comforts and conveniences at the cost of others? Are we ready to sacrifice some of our comforts for the sake of a noble cause, social service, promoting gospel values and opposing evil forces?

6.    A Prayer

God of salvation, you want that we become worthy of your gift of salvation by struggling to overcome evil with good throughout our lives. Give us the strength to uphold Christ’s values in the midst of secular values.  Give us the courage to enter through the narrow door of opposition, sacrifices, suffering and lack of support in order to live out our faith in Christ. Grant that we may take the present moment seriously as another opportunity given by you to be converted  to the gospel values before ‘the door is shut’. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.