21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
As we gather this weekend we remember all those who have received or will be getting state exam results over these next few weeks here where I am. We offer a prayer for all those who have done well as well as those who have not done as well as they continue their education. In this Sundays Gospel Luke tells us about the door policy of the kingdom of God and how there is no such thing as automatic membership. While Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem, someone asks him about the number of those who will be saved. Rather than speculate about the arithmetic of salvation, Jesus gives practical advice to all of them: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” The image changes from tight space to time up.
Those who wait until the door is shut try knocking, but the householder regards them as strangers. The latecomers tell the householder about the common ties that bind them together. They are distressed because they are being excluded, the people in the story try to prove they are part of the group when they say “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” Jesus like the house owner is not impressed with this type of superficial acquaintance: people who eat and drink in the same restaurants and bars, read the same papers, watch the same TV programmes, don’t always share the same commitment to God and their faith. In the gospel stories Jesus has a habit of telling religious people not to be smug; in fact, the so-called “devout and religious” were the ones who rejected Jesus the most. He was most critical of the judgmental religious leaders who were the very ones to condemn him in Jerusalem. Jesus is our example of the faithful person who goes through a period of trials trusting God no matter what happens. Through Jesus we come to know the faithfulness and love of God.
For Isaiah, a faithful band of witnesses will announce the news of God’s restoring love and they invite all of us to see the manifestation of God’s power and faithfulness. For us, Jesus is the “sign” of God’s fidelity and love for us . The God who raised him from the dead offers us that same new life through him. Saint Pope Paul VI said in his famous encyclical, “Evangelii Nuntiandi” that people listen more to witnesses than to teachers. Pope Paul was also right when he said that the most convincing messengers of our faith are those who speak from their personal experience of God. We are called to be authentic witnesses to the Gospel message Passed down to us through the Scriptures as well as many individual people. Our lives must be changed by our faith in Jesus. We are given the gift of faith; but a change of heart is expected as our response to that gift so let us not be afraid to change the things in our lives that need to be changed remembering to give thanks for the great gift of faith that is ours so we will be able to enter through the Narrow Door knowing that we have Jesus as a friend.
Fullerton T 