OT XXI [C] Is 66:18-21, Heb 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13: 22-30

Ask any Protestant/Reformed/Evangelical pastor anywhere in the world: What is the basis of our salvation? And the answer will likely be, "We are saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." No doctrine is more universally accepted than this one. We are saved by grace. It is not by works that we are saved. It is not by our good deeds. Not by our church affiliation. Salvation is a gift from God made available through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Simple question. Simple answer. Unfortunately, the words of Jesus sometimes don't seem that simple. "Make every effort," he says, "to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and not be able to."

Is Jesus trying to tell us something? Is the situation more complicated than it is sometimes represented? Will there be some who expect to get in who will be turned away?

Though we believe that we are saved by grace, we believe that in order to appropriate that grace we must have faith in Jesus Christ. But what is faith? Is faith mere belief? Is faith simply signing on the dotted line? The bible says  that even the demons believe and tremble.

If this faith in Jesus is genuine, it will have a constant meaning for our daily living. It is not that we must do good works, to be redeemed. We don’t do good works for Jesus in order to be saved; we do good works for Jesus as the outward sign that we are saved. They are the outward evidence of our inward faith.

Hence, our answer to the question: “Have you been saved?” should be: “I have been saved from the penalty of sin by Christ’s death and Resurrection.  I am being saved from the power of sin by the indwelling Spirit of God.  I have the hope that I shall one day be saved from the very presence of sin when I go to be with God.” 

Most of the worthwhile endeavors in life require struggle, they require commitment.  You have to enter through the narrow gate. You can’t bring a lot of baggage through a narrow door. You have to “Strain every nerve to enter.” In other words you need to strive mightily to squeeze through the door. “No pain, no gain”.

In the second reading, exploring with his readers the consequences of Christian commitment, St. Paul explains “the narrow gate” of Jesus as pain and suffering, resulting from God’s loving disciplining of His children. 

"If anyone desires to come after Me, says Jesus, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Lk 9:23).   This means a consistent denial of self and the steady relinquishing of sinful pleasures, pursuits, and interests. 

Someone once said to Paderewski, the great pianist, "Sir, you are a genius." He replied, "Madam, before I was a genius I was a drudge." He continued: “If I missed practice one day, I noticed it; if I missed practice two days, the critics noticed it; if I missed three days, my family noticed it; if I missed four days, my audience noticed it.

It is reported that after one of Fritz Kreisler's concerts a young woman said to him, "I would give my life to be able to play like that." He replied, "That's what I gave.” The door is narrow. Why should we think we can "drift" into the Kingdom of God? The Christian life is a constant striving to do the will of God as Jesus revealed it. We need to strive because there are forces of evil within us and around us, trying to pull us down.

  

When the questioner asked Jesus “How many will be saved?” he was assuming that the salvation of God's Chosen People was virtually guaranteed, provided they kept the Law. In other words, the Kingdom of God was reserved for the Jews alone, and Gentiles would be shut out. 

 Hence, Jesus' answer must have come as a shock to the listners. Jesus affirms that God wants all persons to enjoy eternal life with Him. But he stresses the need for constant fidelity and vigilance throughout our lives. Thus, Jesus reminds us that, even though God wants all of us to be saved, we all need to work at it. Entry into God’s kingdom is not automatically granted, based purely on religious Faith or nationality, so we cannot presume on God’s mercy and do nothing by way of response to God’s invitation.

Jesus is not looking for casual acquaintance from us but for real dedication. People might 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.  Mere faith in Jesus and membership in His Church by Baptism cannot guarantee salvation. 

So to be "saved" means to live and to die in a close, loving relationship with God and with others.

Jesus declares that nobody can claim that he is “saved,” possessing a "visa" to Heaven. How many will be saved in the end is a decision that rests with God, and depends on whether His Justice or His Mercy finally prevails.  

Hence, we are to strive to enter through the “narrow gate” by prayer and supplication, diligently seeking deliverance from those things which would bar our entrance, and acquiring those things which would facilitate our entry. Let’s ask the Lord that we may have the grace to please the Him in all things and be counted among the chosen ones.