Aug. 25, 2013: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Have you ever been late to an appointment? For example, have you ever arrived late to the airport and the plane left without you? Have you ever rushed to a store, only to find the doors locked? Although many of us think of heaven as an unimaginably beautiful place that is awaiting us, at times, we have a nagging thought that perhaps we don’t deserve or qualify to enter such a place. Our fear is that upon arrival in heaven, that the door will be closed on us. At other times, we feel overconfident that we have a guaranteed spot in heaven. Which of these attitudes should we take? That was the question that someone asked Jesus in the Gospel today, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Upon which Jesus replied, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”
A cute story was told to me about children at the children’s church. One Sunday, the children in children’s church were being taught the concept of getting to heaven. Teacher asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" "NO!" the children answered. Teacher asked them, "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?" Again, the answer was, "NO!" Teacher smiled. "Well," she continued, "Then how can I get into Heaven?" A five-year-old girl shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."
From what Jesus says in the Gospel, you have to be more than just ‘dead’ to enter into heaven. Jesus urges us to actively strive toward heaven. It’s not some vague hope, wishful thinking, or something we take care of in our spare time. Striving to enter heaven should be the top priority in our lives. Whenever I prepare an engaged couple for marriage, I have to ask them the following question, “How often do you attend church?” Answer choices are frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never. Believe it or not, even among Catholic school graduates, many select ‘rarely’ as their choice. How about you? If I were to ask you, “How often do you strive to enter into Heaven,” what would you select: frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never?
Heavenly Father wills that all people should be saved. And, Jesus refuses to get into the numbers game, or to speculate about matters that are best left to the wisdom and mercy of God. Yet, there is a real possibility that even though we knock on the gates of Heaven and say, ‘Lord, open the door for us,’ Lord will say to us, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Hence, Jesus tells us to “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”
What did Jesus mean by this expression? The door which Jesus had in mind was himself. I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved (John 10:9). Jesus opens the way for us to enter into God's kingdom through the cross where he has laid down his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. If we want to enter and remain citizens of God's kingdom, then we must follow Jesus in the way of the cross. To enter the kingdom of God one must struggle against the forces of temptation to sin and whatever would hinder us from doing the will of God. Do you trust in God's grace and help, especially in times of testing and temptation? The good news is that we do not struggle alone. God is with us and his grace is sufficient! As we strive side by side for the faith of the gospel, Jesus assures us of complete victory!
