Oct. 26, 2022 – Luke 13:22-30
Today’s Gospel speaks of the predestined, that is, those who will be saved in the end.
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem passing through many towns and villages and, at this time, s.embra he is in the region of Perea, on the eastern side of the Jordan. He is approached by a man who wants to know if there are few who are saved perhaps because he considered himself among the elect believing that the salvation of God’s chosen people was virtually guaranteed as long as they kept the Law. In other words, the Kingdom of God was reserved only for the Jews and the Gentiles would be excluded. For Jesus, entry into the Kingdom is not an automatic event based solely on religion or nationality; in fact, he clearly states that salvation is not guaranteed for anyone. For
be “saved” one must live in a close relationship of love with God and others; one must continue to strive to enter the Kingdom; one must, finally, enter through the “narrow door” of sacrificial and selfless service.
The parable of the closed door warns us that time is short. Every day sees missed opportunities. “Opportunity will not knock twice on your door.”
Paul VI said, “Christianity is not easy, but it is happy.” Happy, because when sacrifice is born of love it does not produce sadness, but joy. Authentic Christianity is never hard. Only from sacrifice and pain are great things born, like the flower from the thorns, said Card. Mercier. And Paul Claudel in retort, “We must carry the cross before the cross carries us.” It is, however, D. Bonhoeffer who best translated the Gospel theme of the “narrow door” with the expression. “grace at great cost.” It seems like a contradiction, because “grace” expresses gratuitousness and, instead, at the level of faith, on the one hand “everything is grace” (Bernanos) and on the other hand everything is “at great cost,” because we ourselves “have been bought at great cost” with the blood of Christ. If salvation cost God so much, will it cost us nothing? (Mariano Magrassi)
To become the good workers…
– Every day and all the days of our lives we must go through that narrow door, the door of faith, trust and love for Jesus and for our brothers and sisters. Only then will we find ourselves united with the patriarchs, prophets and all the saints in that life of happiness and unending union with our God for whom we were made.
– It is crucial that we, as Catholics, do not think that simply on the basis of our membership in the Church we are somehow privileged and that, if the worst came to the worst, we could always with a final confession or anointing set things right. That would be very presumptuous and very dangerous on our part because we might hear those terrible words, “I don’t know who you are.”
– We make wise decisions and choose the narrow door when God gives us the freedom to choose.
Fr Joby Kavungal RCJ
TREZZANO SUL NAVIGLIO – MILAN