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| “The Narrow Door” by Deacon Robert Lackney, (Paris) 1986 |
Reading 1: Romans 8:26-30
Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God’s will.
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.
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Commentary on Romans 8:26-30
In the first paragraph of this selection St. Paul speaks about the impact the Holy Spirit has upon prayer. Even if one cannot express their needs, the Paraclete will search them out and intercede for Christ’s followers.
In the second part of the reading the evangelist outlines the Christian vocation as God intended it to be. Because Christ existed eternally those called to him were carefully chosen or elected from the beginning of time to be called to salvation. “Predestined: [means] Selected for divine adoption by an eternal decree of God (Ephesians 1:4). Predestination is a mystery revealed but not fully understood; what we know for certain is that God is free to act as he chooses (Psalm 135:6) and man is free to accept or reject his blessings (Romans 2:6-8; Sirach 15:11-13).No one is predestined by God for eternal damnation (CCC 1037).”[4]
CCC: Rom 8:26-39 2739; Rom 8:26-27 2634; Rom 8:26 741, 2559, 2630, 2736; Rom 8:27 2543, 2736, 2766; Rom 8:28-30 1821, 2012; Rom 8:28 313, 395; Rom 8:29 257, 381, 501, 1161, 1272, 2790
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 13:4-5, 6
R. (6a) My hope, O Lord, is in your mercy.
Look, answer me, O Lord, my God!
Give light to my eyes that I may not sleep in death
lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him”;
lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.
R. All my hope, O Lord, is in your loving kindness.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
Let my heart rejoice in your salvation;
let me sing of the Lord, “He has been good to me.”
R. All my hope, O Lord, is in your loving kindness.
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Commentary on Ps 13:4-5, 6
Psalm 13 is an individual lament. The singer, who is ill, asks the Lord for salvation so their enemies will not think the illness is a punishment from the Lord. Confident in God's abundant mercy, the selection is concluded with a witness to hope in the Lord.
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Gospel: 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.”
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Commentary on Lk 13:22-30
Jesus has just told the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast. Here, the questioner asks 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:
The image used today by Deacon Bob does a nice graphical job of illustrating the point Jesus made in his answer to the question: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” We envision in the foreground a throng of all races and backgrounds coming through the wide gate; the gate that does not restrict those who do not follow God’s laws. The way gets narrower and many turn back. In the distance we see the “narrow gate” and the path beyond that will be difficult to travel. It is difficult because the way Jesus showed us was a humble and selfless path, peaceful only if one can master our fallen nature and put on the mind of our Savior. Very few want the difficulty of that way.
If we think about the two choices offered it is easy to see why so many reject the narrow gate. They may know that it leads to eternal life, but it’s hard. That way that forces us to carry the poor and the downtrodden, to love one another. Many of our brothers and sisters will look at that way and say; “That is more sacrifice than I am willing to make.” They will see the Laws of God and of the Church as being to restrictive of their freedoms. It is not just in modern times that the narrow gate has stood as an unpopular choice. It has been so since the time of Christ. Is it any wonder that his answer to that question, “will only a few be saved?” is that a majority will choose the easier path. All are free to choose; some were willing to choose the more difficult path.
Today our prayer must be twofold. First we pray thanking God for showing us the path to the narrow gate and we ask for his strength to stay on that path. Second we pray for those for whom that gate seems to be too much. We pray that they find the strength to see that, while the way is difficult, it leads to peace in this life and eternal life with the Father.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “The Narrow Door” by Deacon Robert Lackney, (Paris) 1986.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p.268.
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