Ad Jesum per Mariam

Entering Through the Narrow Gate-- Jesus Shows Us The Path to Salvation--

Entering Through the Narrow Gate: Jesus Shows Us The Path to Salvation! Today’s gospel recounts a moment when someone approaches Jesus with an important question: “Will only a few be saved?” Jesus responds, urging, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate. Many will try, but only a few will be strong enough to succeed.” This gate, Jesus explains, is not only narrow but will also close at some point. The message is clear: enter while you still have the opportunity. Jesus continues, warning that many will knock when the gate is closed, saying, “We ate and drank with you! Open the door for us!” Yet the Lord will reply, “I do not know where you come from.” Simply identifying as Catholic, being a priest, praying the rosary, or practicing novenas, while valuable, do not guarantee salvation. The Jewish people, as God’s chosen race, believed that their identity alone assured them salvation. Jesus came to challenge and correct this thinking. Practicing Religious Rituals Alone Is Not Enough For Salvation Affiliation with the Catholic Church, being a priest, or practicing religious rituals is not enough for salvation. We must strive to pass through the narrow gate. But what is this narrow gate? Elsewhere in the gospel, Jesus reveals that true freedom in passing through it lies in doing God’s will. What does doing the will of God entail? Salvation cannot be achieved without passing through Jesus. He calls us to daily commitment, guiding us with His teachings. Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to: Entering Through the Narrow Gate: Jesus Shows Us The Path to Salvation! --------------------------------- Image: The Wide Road and the Narrow Road: Dutch Artist: Jan Luyken: 1712 Today’s engraving by Dutch artist Jan Luyken, printed in 1712, serves as an excellent visual companion to our Gospel reading. On the left side of the engraving, we see the wide gate, where people are joyfully dancing and celebrating as they pass through the broad arch. Atop this gate, a carved relief of the earthly globe is displayed, symbolizing the world’s temptations. This path represents the road the world urges us to follow. On the right side of the engraving lies the narrow path mentioned by Jesus in our reading. A man, having taken up his cross, is depicted walking through the narrow gate, joined by others who are also carrying their crosses further along the path. They journey toward a radiant light atop the hill, symbolizing Heaven. In contrast, those on the left are headed toward a storm. --------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Luke: 13: 22-30 First Reading: EPH 6: 1-9

Duration:: 14m
Broadcast on:: 06 Nov 2024
Audio Format:: other

The Lord be with you, a reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went 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, we'll attempt to enter, but we'll 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 ever do was, and there will be wearing 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 we will recline at the table within the kingdom of God, for behold, some are lost, who will be first, and some are first, who will be lost. The gospel of the Lord. Many who attempt to enter, but few will be strong to enter the narrow gate. We have just arrived at this institute called ICI, Inter-congregation Institute of religious studies and philosophy. So we are to undergo a free program of philosophy. We are so excited to meet new people, new friends, and the most important way to continue the journey to becoming priests, to becoming religious. So the very first class that we had, there was this lecturer who came, so happy, said, "Welcome, thank you." That before I start accompanying you in this course called Theodicy, the science of God, I would like to ask you two questions, and they said, "Okay, we start the course with questions, although we know nothing about the course." So I said, "What is the easy way to go into heaven, to sing or sign a or sign a or sign a with God?" So we're there, said, "Oh, does he want to test whether we have the vocation or not? Why bringing that question to us now?" No one took courage to respond to that question. Then he said, "Okay, there is a way to going to heaven is by becoming a Catholic priest." So we're happy, said, "We are on the right track, brothers, we are on the right track, we are not only becoming priests, but we are also candidates for eternal life, for salvation." Then he said, the second question, "What is the easy way to going to hell?" To language, grinding of teeth, and then we looked at each other and said, "That should be very simple because there is a way to going to heaven, enjoy life with God is by becoming a priest and just the opposite, but none of us took courage to answer that question." So he said, "There is a way to going to hell is by becoming a Catholic priest." And then we looked at each other, said, "Is the philosophy all about confusing each other?" Because it's the same thing you're saying that is going to lead us to heaven, and the very same thing you're saying is going to lead us to hell. And he said, "Brothers, Catholic priesthood has all it takes to get us to heaven. Has the grasses it takes to grant us salvation. But when these grasses are not used, or when these grasses are misused, we are led to hell." And he continued by saying, "You may have the ingredients, you may have the recipe, but you can die of hunger if you don't use the ingredients and the recipe. And if even you don't use them well." I remember very well when I just started my ministry in this new parish, the very first Sunday. After mass, people were so happy, I was also happy to start my ministry as a newly ordained priest in this parish. And then after mass, there was one man who came to me and said, "Father, you're most welcome to this parish, and we are happy to have a young priest like you. But most importantly, I would like to say thanks to you for the homily that you gave today." That was wonderful. How I wish my wife were here to hear about you, homily? Because all you talked about, it is as if you knew. And that homily was directed towards her. How I wish my wife were here. I just loved, but deep down my heart I said, "But I don't know your wife, I'm just you here." The following Sunday, after mass, the same man came and said, "Father, your homily today was better than the one who gave last week. You loved it, and how I wish my children were here." Especially the firstborn. Because all you talked about would have transformed him. I said, "Okay, our gospel today, we hear of this person who comes to Jesus and asks this question, are you going to be saved?" And Jesus says, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate. Strive to enter through the narrow gate. For many who attempt, but few will be strong enough to enter this gate. And this gate is not just narrow, but there will be a time when this gate will be closed. It's not just narrow, but there will be a time when this gate will be closed. So enter it while you have time. And he continues to say, "There will be many who knock when this door is closed and say, we are moving with you. We were eating with you, open for us. But the Lord will say, I don't know where you are coming from. But we knew you. I don't know where you are coming from. Being a Catholic, being a priest, praying the rosary, doing the novenas, and all that. These are important, but they do not guarantee us salvation. They do not guarantee us salvation. The Jews, since they were chosen to rest, they had it within themselves. That being they chosen to rest are the ones to be saved. By just being affiliated to being Jews, connected, being the rest that was chosen, salvation is upon them. But Jesus comes and would like to correct this. Being affiliated to the Catholic Church, being Catholics, being priests does not guarantee us salvation. Rather, we must strive to enter through the narrow gate. And what is this narrow gate else when the gospel hears Jesus, who says, "I am the way, the life, and the truth. I am the way, the life, and the truth." The narrow gate that Jesus is talking about is Jesus himself. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus himself. And we know very well what it means to go through Jesus. It entails a life of humility. It's a narrow gate. It entails a life of suffering. It entails a life of doing God's will. And that's the narrow gate. Our freedom in going through this narrow gate is found in doing the way of God. And this is what Saint Paul is talking about in the first reading. When he addresses the children that obey your parents in their load and parents respect your children and raise them in their load. We can't attend salvation if we do not go through Jesus. Who asks us on databases to purify ourselves? On databases to get challenged by his word. On databases to respond to God's will. Many who attempt to enter this narrow gate. But few will be strong enough to enter it. May God help us, give us courage to be strong in faith. And most importantly, to do God's will as we strive for salvation. Amen.