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<\/a><\/p>\nMost recall the well-known words of Jesus, \u201cask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s Gospel passage is also about asking, seeking and knocking, but the big difference is that door remains locked.\u00a0 Not only that, but the master inside tells the person knocking to get lost because he does not even know him.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus makes a clear point by telling the parable; a parable with an unpopular teaching back then, and an unpopular teaching today: entering the Kingdom of God will require hard work.\u00a0 It is difficult.\u00a0 You will not achieve salvation by accident \u2013 you do not stumble into it.\u00a0 What does it take?<\/p>\n
Those who were listening to Jesus back then were mostly scholars of the law: the highly educated pharisees and scribes who oftentimes looked down upon the general population because they were learned and educated.\u00a0 Jesus reminds them: all your knowledge will not save you, where is your heart?\u00a0 Jesus challenges them: it is possible to know God, to call out to him, to study and learn much, but God knows your heart in and out.\u00a0 It is not enough to know so much about God, what counts is how the Gospel is made a reality in how you live out your life.<\/p>\n
There was once monk walking along a river with a young novice. The novice was full of questions, \u201cwhere does the water go? Is the water cold? Does it flow quickly? How deep is it?\u201d on and on with his questions\u2026 the old monk grew annoyed by the many questions, but also found a perfect teaching moment.\u00a0 He pushed the novice into the water and said, \u201cdon\u2019t ask so many questions, it is better to dive in and find out for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus tells the pharisees back then, and tells us now, that we cannot remain on the bank of the river, we have to dive in when it comes to our relationship with God.\u00a0 Otherwise, we risk remaining outside the house of the master.<\/p>\n
Our salvation can be likened to playing a sport, you cannot remain a simple spectator on the sidelines.\u00a0 You have to join the game, you have to dive in.<\/p>\n
As a priest, I oftentimes hear people say as a point of reference for their Catholicism, \u201cI went to Catholic School\u201d or \u201cmy parents are very Catholic Father, always at church, very involved.\u201d\u00a0 Those things are great and wonderful!\u00a0 But those facts will not save you.\u00a0 You went to Catholic school as a kid, great, but where is your heart now?\u00a0 How is your relationship with God now?\u00a0 Your parents may be great Catholics and they took you to church all the time as a child, but, where is your heart now?\u00a0 You will not be saved by the fumes of someone else\u2019s relationship with God.<\/p>\n
This parable is not about God\u2019s harshness or his desire to condemn some people into the darkness where there is wailing and grinding of teeth, but rather it is a reminder: be attentive to the salvation of your soul.\u00a0 Do not take it for granted.\u00a0 Do not assume you have it made, because God will ask for an account of your life when you see him face to face.<\/p>\n
Saint Augustine who lived sixteen centuries ago famously said, \u201che who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
These words of Saint Augustine speak of the freedom that God gives us to choose Him or to reject Him.\u00a0 We choose God every day, with every decision we make.\u00a0 We never remain impartial.\u00a0 God gives us freedom because he wants us to choose Him out of our own free will.\u00a0 If we were like robots, what good would it be to always choose what is good?\u00a0 It is in choosing what is good and right every day, that we work on our relationship with God.\u00a0 God gives us the ability to recognize what is good and right, and to choose it.\u00a0 In doing so, he gives us the grace to go through the narrow gate.<\/p>\n
How do we choose God each day?\u00a0 How do we jump into the river?\u00a0 God will not save us without our consent\u2026 will we stay in the bench or take an active role in the game?\u00a0 God wants us to go through the narrow gate, and He will help us, it is up to us to choose Him each day, every moment of our lives, in response to his call to follow Him.<\/p>\n
21st Sunday of Ordinary Time<\/p>\n
Picture: Narrow gate on The High Way<\/b>
\ncc-by-sa\/2.0<\/a> \u2013 \u00a9 John Slater<\/a> \u2013 geograph.org.uk\/p\/2968701<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most recall the well-known words of Jesus, \u201cask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.\u201d Today\u2019s Gospel passage is also about asking, seeking and knocking, but the big difference is that door remains locked.\u00a0 Not only that, but the master inside […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":6742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[495,30,1381,2023,780],"class_list":["post-6739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homily","tag-augustine","tag-catholic","tag-narrow-gate","tag-parable","tag-salvation"],"yoast_head":"\n
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