HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Twenty First Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Aug 21, 2016

2071

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (66:18-21)

Thus says the Lord: I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory. I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the Lord in clean vessels. Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the Lord.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (117:1, 2)

(R) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

Praise the Lord, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples! (R)

For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews (12:5-7, 11-13)

Brothers and sisters: You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges." Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (13:22-30)

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, "Lord, open the door for us." He will say to you in reply, "I do not know where you are from." And you will say, "We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets." Then he will say to you, "I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!" And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And 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. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

There is a story of a woman who received her reward in heaven according to her works. While she was on earth, she was used to every luxury and the respect of all. When she died and arrived in heaven, an angel was sent to escort her to her house. As they went along, they passed one beautiful mansion after another. As they came to each one the woman thought that it might be hers, because each was more beautiful than the previous one. After a while they passed through the main streets and came to the outskirts where the houses were much smaller; and then, on the very fringe, they came to a house which was little more than a hut. "Well, here we are," said the angel, "Here is your house." Shocked by the reward the woman complained, "How can I live in that house? It is small, ugly, untidy and messy." "I'm sorry," said the angel, "We did the best we could, but that is all we could build for you with the materials you sent up."

As Jesus travelled through towns and villages preaching, someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved", Luke (13:23). Jesus did not directly address the question put to him, but responded with the door or gate metaphor. He said, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough", Luke (13:24).

The Greek word "agonizomai" from which we get the English word "agonize", means "to strive, to struggle, to exert enormous effort". This word is commonly used to describe athletic contests referring to the agonizing exercises the contestants would engage in to win the contest. Any medal-winning Olympians would cite the years of strenuous physical training, hard work, dedication and sacrifices they had made to reach the pinnacle of their sport.

The writer of the gospel, Luke, has used the same word to convey what Jesus meant when He said about "entering the narrow gate". He said that lots of people will be vying to enter the narrow gate that leads to the Kingdom, but many will not have the strength to endure the effort involved. So, He called on His followers to earnestly strive and make an intense and agonizing effort and a great sacrifice to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Then Jesus said, "After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying Lord, open the door for us." He will say to you in reply, "I do not know where you are from". And you will say, "We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets". Then he will say to you, "I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers", Luke (13:25-27).

Though the door to the kingdom of heaven or salvation is very narrow, it is always open. However, when the invitation is declined, the master of the house would get up and shut the door to heaven. For those who had tried but failed to enter the first time, even if they came back a second time to knock and plead for the door to be opened to them, the master would still deny He knew them. That seems a bit harsh. But the lesson is that once the door is shut, no amount of pleading, regardless of how well they had known the master and how close they had been or how many meals they had shared or how many occasions they had been together, would make any difference. That's to say, no type of relationship would obligate the master to open the door for them.

As a result, they would be filled with sadness and regret. And this regret will be so intense that people will be wailing and grinding their teeth. This is because people from all corners of the world and of all races and nations would be dining together with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets and ancestors in heaven while they are left out. The final caution is that even if we get through the narrow gate, we need to be aware that those who were last in this life, will be the first in the next, and those who were first in this life will be last in the next.

What lessons do we learn from this gospel account?

Following Jesus has a price to pay, and Jesus never denied it. It involves struggles, sacrifices, trials and suffering. For example, Jesus said, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple", Luke (14:27). He also said, "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more", Luke (12:48).

And he said, "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to them the other also", Luke (6:29). We know these are not easy commandments to carry out in our daily life. There is much agonizing along the way. All kinds of evil forces and sinful tendencies pull us away from entering through the narrow door. As Saint Paul says, Acts (14), "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God".
The door is always open and there is the possibility of entry for everybody because of the ample opportunities given by God. But when all the opportunities are exhausted the door will be closed. Once the door is shut, no amount of pleading will help. But in spite of this, there is still hope for us.
Our God is kind and merciful. A place in the Kingdom of God or heaven is God's free gift to everyone. No amount of works equates the grace of God to us. In other words, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God by means of our works, in any measure. We are all sinners in need of mercy and grace to enter into the kingdom. There might always be a selfish motif behind our good works.

Jesus said, "Be merciful like your Father is merciful", Luke (6:36). He also said, "Love one another as I have loved you", John (13:34) and John (15:12). We are called to be merciful to others like our heavenly Father is merciful to us. Do we truly follow our Heavenly Father's example of mercy in our relationships with others? Christ's new commandment to love others should not be just as we love ourselves, but as Christ loves us. Are we able to love one another as Christ loves us? No!

So, we are saved purely and exclusively by the grace of God in Christ, and not by our own merit whatsoever. God loves us in spite of our failure. He may still forgive us and let us into His kingdom but perhaps he will give us the last room to express our grief and sadness for the life we have lived on this earth. Let us, therefore, spend our time wisely, and spend it on storing up that which really counts. Let us not be casual about our salvation and only give it half-hearted attention. Instead, let us enter into deeper and deeper intimacy with God and grow day by day in holiness so that when we stand before the gates of heaven He may recognize us and grant us the reward He has prepared for us.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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