Ps 117
Hebrews 12:5-7.11-13
Luke 13:22-30
The
Narrow Gate
According
to today’s readings, salvation should not be taken for granted. Going to Mass
or being a member of a particular church does not guarantee salvation. To be
saved or not to be saved depend on our personal relationship with the Lord, on
how we conform our lifestyles to the message of the Gospel.
In
effect, the prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading and Jesus’ sayings in
today’s gospel might have sounded strange in the hearing of their respective
Jewish audiences. The Jews had always believed that they were the chosen people
of God; that they had the right to enter the kingdom of God. But according to
the prophet, God is coming to gather nations of every language so that they may
see his glory. He will even choose among them priests and Levites to bring him
offerings.
In
the Gospel, a question is put to Jesus: “Lord, will only a few people be
saved?” Jesus answers this question by inviting the crowd to strive and enter
through the narrow gate, for many will attempt to enter but will not be strong
enough. Then he goes on to give a parable of the banquet in which will partake
people from the four corners of the earth; but those who thought of themselves
as having the right to the banquet will be cast out.
Accordingly,
to be saved does not depend solely on how often we go to church. For it is not
enough to have attended catechism classes, or to have received the sacraments, etc.
It is not enough even to preach or work miracles in the name of Jesus. All these are important but not sufficient. We must
put the Word of God into practice. And this requires a daily effort. That is
what it means to enter through the narrow gate.
The image of a “narrow gate” evokes striving,
difficulty, effort and tiredness. The narrow gate is the way of love, mercy,
forgiveness and justice. It is the way of joyfully accepting and bearing with
suffering. It is the way of enduring trial as “discipline” from our loving
Father in heaven. This notwithstanding, we must remember that we can do nothing without the grace of God. Thus,
let us pray to him to grant us such grace to always walk on the way leading to
our salvation. Amen
Rev
Fr Géorges KOUWONOU
(Priest
of the Diocese of Atakpamé, Togo)
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire