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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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One of the great joys of being a priest is celebrating Mass in different places, the most surreal being Christ’s empty tomb in Jerusalem.
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The entrance to the tomb is very small, only about three feet wide and four feet high. It was intentionally designed this way so that only one person can enter at a time… and when you do, you must bow in adoration before passing through.
Unless, ironically enough, you’re a child. Then you can stroll right in.
After I passed through the “narrow gate,” I stood in awe, humbly realizing that for the next twenty-four minutes, I’d be the only person in the world praying at the Lord’s tomb.
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That experience reminded me of Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel.
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter, but will not be strong enough.”
Christ’s imagery of a narrow gate leading into heaven would’ve made sense to his direct listeners to the extent that most gates in the ancient world were narrow.
If gates were wide enough to let large crowds pass through all at once, then enemies could’ve easily snuck inside the city walls. It was much easier to discern who was coming or going when done in a single-file line.
We employ a similar idea today. Think about the millions of travelers who pass through the “narrow gate” of airport security each year in America alone. Although massive crowds are permitted, each passenger is individually screened.
Similarly, each person will be “screened” by God before being allowed to enter into heaven. While we all will have the opportunity to pass through, each person is held individually responsible for how they’ve lived their life.
This makes the gate narrow.
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It’s also why Jesus tells us to “strive.”
This verb – strive – means, “to struggle or to fight vigorously.” It’s the type of word we’d use to describe a person in battle. You need grit, momentum, and endurance in order to win.
We all experience a certain type of tension – a battle – in our daily lives. Think of how often we are called to resist temptation, to choose the higher road, to make the right decision, or to lean into our conscience. And how often we fail.
Even Saint Paul lamented how hard it was to overcome the desires of his flesh as he strove eagerly to enter through the “narrow gate.”
As he says in his Letter to the Romans, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate… So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
Yet, towards the end of his life, he is able to declare humbly, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
Paul fought eagerly; he ran the race to the finish; he kept the faith.
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Yet who among us has the spirit of Saint Paul? Who has the same courage, grit, and relentless commitment to holiness? Must we be as holy as Paul to inherit eternal life?
Or, as an anonymous person asks Jesus in today’s Gospel, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
Jesus does not respond with a precise number or percentage.
If Jesus said, “Only 5% of humanity will be saved,” then we’d all be sweating! But if he said, 99%, then we’d be shouting for joy. We’d bet our odds, quickly presuming that the warlords, the criminals, the evildoers in this world would be the 1% left behind.
But we simply don’t know.
The Lord urges us to think of the heavenly gate as narrowly cracked, requiring us to squeeze inside. Live as if you’re the only person in the world…and Jesus died just for you.
This does not mean that anyone will be left out, or that we can earn our salvation. What it does mean is that we should not take God – or this life – for granted. Rather, use the time we have well.
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Am I striving to enter through the narrow gate? Am I yearning for a deeper friendship with God?
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After bowing before entering the empty tomb, bending at my waist in praise, I passed through the “narrow gate” in a matter of steps. There, I stood in awe, ready to celebrate Mass.
I felt like one of the magi, laying gifts at the feet of Christ in adoration. However, I had neither gold, nor frankincense, nor myrrh to offer.
What I did have was all God will ask of us:
Faith. Hope. Love.
And the greatest of these is love.
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Image credits: (1) An Informed Faith (2) Catholic News Agency (3) Curt Landry Ministries