Homily for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Strive To Enter Through The Narrow Gate

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, August 21, 2022

From time immemorial people have been asking the question just as they ask it today: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Who is going to make it to heaven? Who is going to be saved? If sometimes you wonder about it you are not alone. The early disciples of Jesus were interested in knowing the number of people that will be saved. In today's Gospel (Luke 13:22-30), someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” But why was the question not “Lord, will a lot of people be saved?” Why a few? My guess is that after listening to Jesus and realizing what he is requiring of us, he started to think, “I don’t know if a lot of people could do this.” And you know, left to us, no one can ransom himself or herself. But with the help of God, we can all attain eternal life in heaven. We can all be saved. However, it is not going to be on our terms. If you turn on your television today or listen to the radio or go on to the internet or you read newspapers, you would think that all you need to do to get to heaven is just to be nice. And it is not even being nice at a higher level, but just being as nice as you can be. Being as nice as you can be is now taken as one’s heavenly certificate. But that’s not what the Bible says. 

Our Gospel for today has both good news and bad news. The good news is that you can have eternal life; you can be saved. The bad news is that not everyone will go down this path, meaning, not everyone will eventually be saved. When Jesus was asked, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” his response is: “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.’ 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 yourself cast out.” 

Sisters and brothers, the scariest moment in eternity is actually to see the great patriarchs of our faith and at the same time to be thrust out. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be one of those who will be cast out. Jesus is the Rabbi here. He is our Master. He is saying to us that there will be those who will make it and those who won’t make it. The goal of every Christian is to obey him and put into practice what he is teaching us. We cannot be his disciples unless we obey him. Obeying Jesus is what we are called to do. His injunction today is “strive to enter through the narrow gate…” What is the narrow gate? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says the narrow gate is responding and obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ so that when our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed. So, the easiest way to ensure salvation in our lives is, first, know what Jesus taught; secondly, entrust yourself to him; and thirdly, obey him on a daily basis. That’s what he is calling us to do. Those who are pushed away are those who do not know him and who do not obey him. 

I am not the judge and you are not the judge. Jesus is. But in today’s Gospel, he is giving us a good insight into the future that some people will grind their teeth and be filled with anguish and torment as a result of the choices they have made here on earth. Eternity is so valuable. Eternal life is so valuable. Being with Jesus forever is so valuable that there is nothing on earth that is worth sacrificing that. Nothing on earth worth giving up eternal life for. We have resolved to obey Jesus, but in the course of life there will be times we miss the mark. That’s where the sacrament of confession, reconciliation, and penance comes in. Throughout this week, meditate on entering the narrow door. If you are going through tough times presently, it might be that God is disciplining you and bringing you back to that narrow door. Certainly, it does not feel good. There is no fun in being disciplined, but in the end, Scripture tells us there will be the joy of righteousness when we share in the Lord’s glory. When someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He pointed to that narrow gate. Your goal, my goal is to strive to enter through the narrow gate of responding to the invitation of the Lord and obeying him.

God bless you!