Cycle C - Year I:  

25 August 2019: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 66:18-21

Second Reading:   Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 13:22-30

The difficult path to God's Kingdom!

"Hope springs eternal", and that is what Christian living should be.  It means that it is human nature always to find cause for optimism.  

But sometimes life overwhelms us, and it can be disheartening.  When we find ourselves in this situation one practical way to deal with it is "one step at a time"..... slowly, carefully, and deliberately, without being careless or in a rush.  Things may turn our alright in the end if we do not lose focus.

In the Gospel this Sunday, our Lord warns us that the path to the heavenly kingdom is also full of challenges and hardships.  He said that we have to pass through the narrow door to enter the kingdom of God.

We read that as Jesus makes His way to Jerusalem, someone from the crowd asked Him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?"  Jesus' reply is rather startling.  He says that although many will attempt to enter heaven through the narrow gate, but will not be strong enough to persevere.

So what does Jesus mean by this?  Let us reflect on what our Lord is telling us.

The road of life in this world is wide, and many follow it because it is like a river of desires and pleasures.  In contrast, the road to heaven is narrow and difficult to follow because it demands following the Gospel in words and actions.  It is tempting to stray from it with the so many distractions of the world.  So Jesus warns us that knowing the Lord and the Gospel is not enough.  It is necessary to live the life that Jesus Himself lived and put His word into practice.     

And so the Gospel message is really a wake up call for all Christians.  Because while God's invitation is open to all, we tend to forget that salvation is realized according to God's terms and not merely our own interpretation of God's terms to be.   In other words, just because you may claim to love God it doesn't necessarily mean that you love Him as He desires or expects to be loved when you are not sincere in your love with actions.  The Gospel message reminds us not to presume that all who claim friendship with God are in fact and in truth His real friends.

Thus, let us heed seriously Jesus' warning that we can be excluded from entering the kingdom if we do not strive to enter by the narrow gate.  And the door that Jesus is talking about is Himself.  "I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved."  (Jn 10:9)

Now, Jesus opens the way for us to enter into His kingdom through the cross.  So we must follow our Lord in the way of the cross.  This means that to enter the kingdom of God one must struggle against the forces of temptation and whatever hinders us from doing the will of God in our lives, including apathy, indifference, and compromises.

But let us not be discouraged because the Good News is that we do not struggle alone.  God Himself is with us  and His grace is sufficient for us to enter into the narrow gate.

In sum, the pursuit of the kingdom of Heaven demands hard work, obedience and perseverance for those who believe.  Many start the walk on the road to salvation but few stay on it or persevere in the journey.  This is because the evil one is constantly setting obstacles in the path to holiness.  So we need to pray constantly for our faith to be strong and unwavering.

Do you trust in God's grace and help, especially in times of testing and temptation?

Let us pray for humility to see that God's kingdom is a gift which we have to accept with joy and gratitude, so that it may bear fruits in our daily lives.

A blessed Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!