Catechism Links[1]
CCC 543-546: all called to enter the Kingdom
CCC 774-776: the Church as universal sacrament of salvation
CCC 2825-2827: do the Father’s will to enter the Kingdom
CCC 853, 1036, 1344, 1889, 2656: the narrow way
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| “’Eye of the Needle Gate’ at Alexander Nevsky Compound, Jerusalem” Photographer and Date are UNKNOWN |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 66:18-21
Commentary on Is 66:18-21
This selection from Isaiah provides a prosaic section of the conclusion of the book (the final 5 verses are a parallel hymn). It acts as a second bookend to the work with its complementary passage being Isaiah 2:2-4. Scholars are somewhat divided on the intent. Some see it as the historical call to the Jewish people, scattered to the ends of the earth in the Diaspora, the great Babylonian exile; while others view it as a clear prediction of the Messiah, coming to call all peoples of all nations, literally from the ends of the earth. “Tarshish [Southern Spain (Ezekiel 27:12)], Put and Lud [In Africa (Genesis 10:6,13)], Mosoch, Tubal [near the Black Sea] and Javan [in the Ionian Islands (Ezekiel 27:13,19) generally indicating Greece] “. Scholars are also divided about whether “Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the Lord” foresees Gentiles functioning as priests.[5]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 117:1, 2
R. (Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 117:1, 2
“This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God's supremacy. The supremacy of Israel's God has been demonstrated to them by the people's secure existence, which is owed entirely to God's gracious fidelity.”[6] Using a refrain from St. Mark’s Gospel, the psalm is one of praise for the Good News of God’s salvation.
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Reading II: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Commentary on Heb 12:5-7, 11-13
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Gospel: Luke 13:22-30
Commentary on Lk 13:22-30
Jesus has just told the Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast. Here, the questioner is asking if many will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus’ answer has two levels of meaning. Entering through the “narrow gate” implies that there is but one set of directions that must be followed to achieve heaven. He says many will attempt to follow these directions but will not be able to because they are difficult.
The Lord’s example of the Master locking the door is an analogy for the end times, the eschaton, when final judgment will be leveled against those who seek entry to the heavenly kingdom. We hear that people from all over the world will be called (see also Matthew 22:14). He concludes saying that some of the last (called to discipleship) will be first (have higher places of honor) and vice versa (similar in intent to Matthew 20:16).
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Reflection:
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate”.
We have all heard that the Lord’s yoke is easy and his burden light (Matthew 11:30). One might see this statement as paradoxical when we consider how we are to enter through the “narrow gate,” or as the image is presented in Matthew 19:24, a camel going through the eye of a needle. If we wish to finally reach the heavenly kingdom, scripture tells us we must unburden ourselves, physically relinquishing those material things of earth, and spiritually giving up our human desires and aspirations in favor of a way that denies self-serving pleasures at the expense of others.
Perhaps a good analogy would be of a person trapped by fire in a tall building. They rush to the window and see below them a rescue net supported by firemen. The rescuers are calling out: “Jump, jump, we will catch you.” Fear of that fall is overcome only by the fire that is approaching. The person must leave the historical safety of their rooms, surrounded by their possessions, and take a leap of faith. In the same way we must recognize (ironically with fire at our backs as well) that we must take that same leap of faith, saving what is important, our lives, and leaving behind what will return to its elements when consumed by fire.
The spiritual and behavioral “narrow gate” also referred to in common usage as “the straight and narrow.” The image and moral tells us that we are to follow Christ’s teachings in our lives, unburdening ourselves of such things as greed, envy, vanity, and gluttony. For most of us, this spiritual unburdening is much more difficult than the physical. We seem to be constantly picking up this baggage, even as we try to put it down. For this reason, our efforts, as we approach the “narrow gate,” must be ongoing lest we get to the gate and find that we have somehow become overburdened and cannot pass.
Our prayer today is that we may find our way at last to that gate and pass through without undue pain in unburdening ourselves and that we can take that leap of faith with confidence, knowing our Savior stands ready to catch us if we fall.
Pax
In other Years on this date: Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2] The picture is “’Eye of the Needle Gate’ at Alexander Nevsky Compound, Jerusalem” Photographer and Date are UNKNOWN
[5] See Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 22:70, pp. 386
[6] See NAB footnote on Ps 117
[7] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 249
[8] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco , CA. pp.434
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