21st Sunday in Ordinary Time 


Isaiah 66:18-21

Psalm 116(117)

Hebrews 12:5-7,​11-13

Luke 13:22-30




NO MATTER WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM, STEP THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR AND EMBRACE YOUR SALVATION!



In the time of our Lord, the Jewish people—especially their leaders—held a profound belief that they were the cherished chosen ones of God. However, our Lord stepped onto the scene with a revolutionary message that shook their foundations. He boldly challenged the notion that the kingdom of heaven would simply be their exclusive domain. In today's gospel, He issued a striking warning: many will strive to enter, yet not all will succeed! And here’s the thrilling twist—individuals from every corner of the earth, from the east and west, from the north and south, will take their seats at the grand feast in the kingdom of God!



Our Lord was on a mission to broaden horizons and elevate expectations. This extraordinary journey of expanding the kingdom didn’t stop with Him—it has been carried on by the Catholic Church since its inception! One of the pivotal moments came during the Council of Jerusalem, when the apostles made a groundbreaking decision to welcome Gentiles into the Church without requiring conformity to both Jewish and Christian laws. Since then, the Church has boldly ventured into uncharted territories and lands, bringing countless souls to Christ!



But wait, there’s more! Today’s second lesson reminds us that suffering is an essential part of the journey. God treats us as His sons, and through our faithfulness, we are called to share in the Son of God’s own sufferings, paving the way for us to partake in His glorious victory. What an exhilarating path we’re on—a path of growth, challenge, and ultimately, triumph! 




Our Lord Himself showed us that we must make the gospel available to all sorts and conditions, not just to those who fit our preferred pattern of potential Catholics.  Yet His uncompromising and demanding approach also reminds us that in our evangelisation we must insist that all who wish to follow Our Lord are taking a narrow way.  There will be much to change, unworthy activities and attitudes to give up, and many burdens to take on.

 



So what do we as a Church offer those among whom the gospel is preached?  We offer salvation, but we also offer a narrow path that is hard to tread, not a broad way.  Thus, Our Lord imposes on us a discipline which at times is demanding and difficult.  But whatever type of person we are, whatever our background, whatever our race, whatever our outlook on life,  the narrow way is open to us.  If we take it and follow it through thick and thin, we have Our Lord’s guarantee that it will lead us to salvation and to a wonderfully rich eternal future.



 

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