Is 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13:22-30
After a long battle with cancer, a man died and arrived at the gates of heaven. Saint Peter told him that in order to get in he has to spell a word.
“Which word?” the man asked.
“Love.”
The man correctly spelled LOVE and Peter welcomed him into heaven.
About a year later, Saint Peter went to the man and asked him to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day. While the man was guarding the Gates, his mother-in-law arrived. He was not happy to see her but he had to perform his duty.
“How do I get in?” the mother-in-law asked.
“You need to spell a word”, the man said.
“Which word?” she asked.
“Czechoslovakia”.
(The story is from an unknown author)
In today’s gospel, someone raises this question to Jesus: “Will only a few people be saved?” The Lord, in reply, does not say, “Yes, there will only be few” or “No, there will be many.” A commentator suggests that this is a deliberate and prudent move. On the one hand, if Jesus declares that only a small minority will be saved, we would easily fall to discouragement. Because of our human frailties, we would think that we are destined for damnation. We might as well give in to temptations and enjoy the pleasures of sin. On the other hand, if the Lord says that great numbers of people will make it to heaven, we would become presumptuous and proud. We would not stop sinning because we believe that God, who is so merciful, will forgive us in the end.
Instead, Jesus instructs the disciples to “strive to enter through the narrow gate”. The important thing, for the Lord, is not the “how many” but the “how” of salvation. How can one be saved? A person can attain salvation by passing through the narrow gate. And what or who is the narrow gate? In the gospel of John, Jesus presents himself as the “gate” that leads to the kingdom of heaven (10:9); he is “the way, the truth and the life” (14:6). The narrow gate, therefore, is not a thing but a person, Jesus himself. He warns disciples that entering the narrow gate or following him entails hard work or great effort. Indeed, it is not easy to follow his ways – to love as he loves, to serve as he serves, and to forgive as he forgives.
Entrance to heaven is not won or achieved, but offered. This is what we mean in saying that salvation is a gift. Yet, today’s gospel reminds us that our redemption demands some personal effort. Salvation is not a cheap grace. We have the task to accept Jesus and to follow his way of life. The gospel tells us that during Judgment Day people will say “Lord, open the door for us for we ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets”. But Jesus will tell them “Depart from me, you evildoers, for I do not know you”. Being a Christian or a Catholic, therefore, is not a guarantee of salvation. Only those who observe the teachings of Jesus in their daily life can share the banquet prepared by God in heaven.
The gate is narrow, but anyone who shows serious interest can enter. Salvation is offered to all, not only to a particular group of people. The gospel says that in the end “People will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God”. The heavenly banquet, therefore, is like a big gathering of good-willed people, of those who possess principal virtues such as charity, generosity and integrity. The Lord sees everything under the sun, and he knows who among us are honestly trying to do what is good. Today, the Catholic Church recognizes that even those who have not heard about Jesus or who have not known the Lord can be saved, as long as they follow a life of genuine love and service.
One time in the gospel Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:25). Hearing this, the disciples were completely overwhelmed and exclaimed to one another, “If such is the case, who can be saved?” (26) And the Lord assured them, saying, “With God everything is possible” (27). Though narrow and difficult, the gate to salvation remains passable because of the grace of God. We only need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit who will show us the way and inspire us to fulfill the demands of the gospel. The popular adage encourages us, “Do your best and God will take care of the rest”.
A legend says that once upon a time, a Japanese peasant came to heaven, and the first thing he saw was a long shelf with something very strange looking upon it.
“What is that?” he asked. “Is it something to make soup of?”
“No,” was the reply. “Those are ears. They belonged to persons, who, when they lived on earth heard what they ought to do in order to be good, but they didn’t pay any attention to it. So when they died their ears came to heaven, but the rest of their bodies did not.”
After a while the peasant saw another shelf with very queer things on it. “What is it?” he asked. “Is it something to make soup of?”
“No,” he was told. “These are tongues. They once belong to people in the world who told people to do good and how to live good, but they themselves never did as they told others to do. So, when they died, their tongues came to heaven, but the rest of their bodies could not enter.”
(The story is from 1000 Stories You Can Use Vol. 2 by Frank Mihalic, SVD)
After a long battle with cancer, a man died and arrived at the gates of heaven. Saint Peter told him that in order to get in he has to spell a word.
“Which word?” the man asked.
“Love.”
The man correctly spelled LOVE and Peter welcomed him into heaven.
About a year later, Saint Peter went to the man and asked him to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day. While the man was guarding the Gates, his mother-in-law arrived. He was not happy to see her but he had to perform his duty.
“How do I get in?” the mother-in-law asked.
“You need to spell a word”, the man said.
“Which word?” she asked.
“Czechoslovakia”.
(The story is from an unknown author)
In today’s gospel, someone raises this question to Jesus: “Will only a few people be saved?” The Lord, in reply, does not say, “Yes, there will only be few” or “No, there will be many.” A commentator suggests that this is a deliberate and prudent move. On the one hand, if Jesus declares that only a small minority will be saved, we would easily fall to discouragement. Because of our human frailties, we would think that we are destined for damnation. We might as well give in to temptations and enjoy the pleasures of sin. On the other hand, if the Lord says that great numbers of people will make it to heaven, we would become presumptuous and proud. We would not stop sinning because we believe that God, who is so merciful, will forgive us in the end.
Instead, Jesus instructs the disciples to “strive to enter through the narrow gate”. The important thing, for the Lord, is not the “how many” but the “how” of salvation. How can one be saved? A person can attain salvation by passing through the narrow gate. And what or who is the narrow gate? In the gospel of John, Jesus presents himself as the “gate” that leads to the kingdom of heaven (10:9); he is “the way, the truth and the life” (14:6). The narrow gate, therefore, is not a thing but a person, Jesus himself. He warns disciples that entering the narrow gate or following him entails hard work or great effort. Indeed, it is not easy to follow his ways – to love as he loves, to serve as he serves, and to forgive as he forgives.
Entrance to heaven is not won or achieved, but offered. This is what we mean in saying that salvation is a gift. Yet, today’s gospel reminds us that our redemption demands some personal effort. Salvation is not a cheap grace. We have the task to accept Jesus and to follow his way of life. The gospel tells us that during Judgment Day people will say “Lord, open the door for us for we ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets”. But Jesus will tell them “Depart from me, you evildoers, for I do not know you”. Being a Christian or a Catholic, therefore, is not a guarantee of salvation. Only those who observe the teachings of Jesus in their daily life can share the banquet prepared by God in heaven.
The gate is narrow, but anyone who shows serious interest can enter. Salvation is offered to all, not only to a particular group of people. The gospel says that in the end “People will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God”. The heavenly banquet, therefore, is like a big gathering of good-willed people, of those who possess principal virtues such as charity, generosity and integrity. The Lord sees everything under the sun, and he knows who among us are honestly trying to do what is good. Today, the Catholic Church recognizes that even those who have not heard about Jesus or who have not known the Lord can be saved, as long as they follow a life of genuine love and service.
One time in the gospel Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:25). Hearing this, the disciples were completely overwhelmed and exclaimed to one another, “If such is the case, who can be saved?” (26) And the Lord assured them, saying, “With God everything is possible” (27). Though narrow and difficult, the gate to salvation remains passable because of the grace of God. We only need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit who will show us the way and inspire us to fulfill the demands of the gospel. The popular adage encourages us, “Do your best and God will take care of the rest”.
A legend says that once upon a time, a Japanese peasant came to heaven, and the first thing he saw was a long shelf with something very strange looking upon it.
“What is that?” he asked. “Is it something to make soup of?”
“No,” was the reply. “Those are ears. They belonged to persons, who, when they lived on earth heard what they ought to do in order to be good, but they didn’t pay any attention to it. So when they died their ears came to heaven, but the rest of their bodies did not.”
After a while the peasant saw another shelf with very queer things on it. “What is it?” he asked. “Is it something to make soup of?”
“No,” he was told. “These are tongues. They once belong to people in the world who told people to do good and how to live good, but they themselves never did as they told others to do. So, when they died, their tongues came to heaven, but the rest of their bodies could not enter.”
(The story is from 1000 Stories You Can Use Vol. 2 by Frank Mihalic, SVD)
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