Sunday readings in brief 21st Sunday Year C

Is 66:18-21; Ps 116(117); Hb 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13:22-30

“The Narrow Door”

Dear friends, today is the 21^st Sunday in ordinary time. The theme of choice for today’s readings is “The Narrow Door”. In normal circumstances, no one wants to struggle for anything. We all wish everything were smooth and straightforward. You go to school, graduate from college, get a job, live happily thereafter. Or start a business, get many customers, make a lot of money, and live happily thereafter. However, we all know that things in life are not always straightforward. More often than not, life confronts us with small and big challenges that we must overcome. What is the challenge that you are facing right now?

Between the beginning and the end, there is a process. Take, for example, a student’s life. The efforts that he or she puts into the process of learning, or the lack of them, will eventually determine the results. Similarly, as Christians, our journey to heaven will be determined by the efforts we put into living righteously. This is why Jesus speaks of “the narrow door.” Those who do not want to struggle in life end up with nothing good. They become burdens to their families and society in general.

At every end, there can be several outcomes: victory or defeat, restoration or destruction, life or death, success or failure, etc. In the first reading, the Prophet Isaiah consoles the people of Israel who were suffering in captivity. He assures them that the Lord would restore them by bringing them back from where they were scattered. They only needed to remain steadfast in the Lord. This is the message for us today, in whatever situation we are in. Trusting in God, in itself, is a force that keeps us trying again and again until we conquer. Are you tired of trying?

You may be in a situation right now that is discouraging you from continuing on the right path.  You may be feeling as though you are being punished for being good. The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews today is for you; God trains His sons and daughters to shape them according to His will. In the process of creating a beautiful sculpture, a lot of chiseling is required. In every good soldier, there is a very painful period of training. Gold is purified by subjecting it to heating at very high temperatures.

In the Gospel reading, we learn that when the end comes, there will be no time for negotiations. Only those who have what it takes will be allowed in. The rest will be locked out, and no amount of pleading will be enough to change the situation. There will be no bribery at the gate of heaven. Many people. They are doing all sorts of crooked things in the name of Jesus. They think that Jesus does not know who is for him and who is for herself or himself. You can lose your voice singing “Alleluia” and end up in eternal damnation. The message is, “Make hay while the sun shines.” The prevalent human behavior is to procrastinate until the end and later complain about the long queues, slow tellers, clogged systems, and arrogant guards, when there was a lot of time to do things comfortably and with just less effort. Are you the type who procrastinates?

It matters not so much how we start but how we end. If you look around, there are so many tired and discouraged people in our society. We are all very nostalgic about the olden days when the systems functioned. The question is, “What happened?” Lack of proper upbringing, training, strategic misguidance, and ongoing formation has caused all the chaos we see in society. As Christians, every day must be like the day we were baptized. The white linen we were given as a symbol of our cleansed hearts must remain clean. This can be done through regular repentance and learning from our past mistakes and the mistakes of others. Do you want things to be better for you? Change your attitude!

Dear friends, I invite you today to evaluate yourselves and see what the real root causes of the predicaments we face in life are. Whining and blaming others and the system do not help to make things better. You, however, can start making things right at your own level.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD 

(see also svdkentan.com)