1ST Reading: Isaiah 66: 18-21
2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Gospel: Luke 13:22-30
Today’s scripture reminds us that we are on a journey, one that ends with eternal life with God. In today’s gospel Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, coming close to the end of his journey to the Father by the way of the cross.
We hear Jesus teaching and spreading the good news of salvation as he travels on his way. In Today’s first reading from Isaiah we find a similar scenario where missionaries are sent out to spread God’s word to those scattered throughout the nations, that is, those nations that are far off, thought of back then as distant lands. This is symbolizing that salvation is offered to all no matter where they are or who they might be.
God is offering salvation that is meant for all and today his kingdom
is offered to us through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Yes, we are on a journey and like Jesus, we are to proclaim the gospel message to all we meet on our way. We are to let them know that they too are invited to Jerusalem, yes, the banquet of the Lord. But before we can do this, we must know Jesus.
In today’s gospel, Jesus is talking with Jews who are very familiar with Holy Scripture. They are considered righteous, doing all that the “law” requires. They are, like us, regularly attending worship services, serving in the leadership of the Church, working for just causes.
They know a lot about God, however, one does not enter through the narrow gate by knowing about God.
The gate to the Kingdom of God is narrow and difficult, not because God made it that way, we do. We find it difficult and narrow because we believe that our knowledge about God, even our works for him, are the way. Jesus says “NO”. Being part of the Kingdom of God is not about what we do or what we know, it is about who we are. It is about a true relationship with him.
Jesus spent his life of ministry developing relationships. Many were interested in what Jesus had to say, a lot were interested in being healed by him, few were interested in being with him.
Jesus wants us to know him. There are many ways throughout scripture, that God reveals himself to human beings, but for God to come down, taking our humanity and walking this earth in the person of Jesus , shows how very much he wants us to know him.
It is good to know about Him. There are a lot of people who don’t know Jesus who know a lot about him. You don’t even need a book now days to hear about Jesus. We have the internet, radio, television. We hear people talk about Jesus, we gather to discuss the latest theology about Jesus. All this is good but is it the important thing for us?
It is good to do things for God. We do things to help others, easing their pain and suffering. We march for just causes and we stand up for the oppressed and abused. Good people do good things, however, what moves us, what energizes us to do these things? Do we do these things to support our egos, to look good in the eyes of others? Or, are we learning what Jesus is teaching us?
Jesus is showing his disciples, to include us, how to love as he loves; Unconditionally, no matter who you are, what you are, or where you come from. But it does take relationship. That’s how God made us.
You see, relationships take time. Knowing people takes time. Jesus spent time with his disciples. He walked with them. He went fishing with them. He ate with them. And Jesus spent the night with them.
Jesus didn’t need to spend time getting to know his disciples, he already knew them. Jesus spent time with them so that they could know him, so that he could model for them what they were to do when he was gone and Jesus shows us how even today, but we must be willing to be changed.
Yes, this is hard for us. We do get very comfortable with our imperfections, our human flaws. The thought of ourselves changing is hard for us. But through our relationship with Jesus Christ, change is inevitable.
Look at all of us here today. Do you think that what we hear in scripture, the people we interact with, changes us? Do you feel that the sacrament we receive, the Eucharist, the body and blood of our savior Jesus Christ, changes us and brings us so close to Jesus? You bet it does, and every time we meet on Sundays, we are changed that much more. It is all about relationship with Jesus Christ.
As we change by becoming ever closer to Jesus Christ, we learn to love as he loves and the by-product of that love, that relationship, is good works; we feed the hungry, we clothe the naked, we visit the sick, the homebound, the imprisoned. We stand up for what is right and good by protecting life from the womb to the tomb, and we protect the human dignity of all people through our Church’s Catholic social justice teachings. We take on the persona of Jesus in our own lives. That is true relationship.
If we believe that we are good enough to enter into the presence of God on our own merit, without a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will be among those knocking who will not be known. Not known because we have not recognized Jesus. There is no relationship.
The second reading talks about being strong and not losing faith. We hear from the letter to the Hebrews that “all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” This peaceful fruit is that relationship with Jesus Christ and the change in our hearts that comes from it leading us to the end of our journey to the Father.
And so, relationship costs. They cost time, energy, but God thought we were worth it. We are worth his time, his energy and even his life. Yes, we are on a journey and the gate is narrow, but it is open for us today.
We can open the narrow gate through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and in finding out who we really are, his disciples, walking this earth as he walked. We can step through that gate now and we will wonder why we waited so very long.