He passed through the towns and villages, teaching as he went and 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, will attempt to enter but will 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 evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and 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 the people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Luke 13:22-30 (NABRE)
Which way, O man?
Jesus tells us this parable as He travels to Jerusalem, where at the Last Supper He will celebrate the first Mass with His disciples and institute the Eucharist before He endures His Passion, death, and Resurrection. In it He presents to us a reminder of the everlasting consequences of our choices — entry into Heaven or hell. Perhaps this might frighten us. Perhaps this might scare us into living a timid life in which we might be afraid of God and distrustful of Him. Well, this is exactly what God does not want for us.
Jesus offers us a warm invitation to live in our Father’s house in Heaven and has a deep and amazing desire for us to come to Him. Even more, He promises to personally take us to Himself, so that where He is we also may be (John 14:3). On top of that, He goes to Jerusalem to offer Himself as sacrifice as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world and to open up the gates of Heaven for us. Out from His side poured blood and water that symbolizes the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, which help, in their own special ways, to build us up in overabundant grace and truth as we are drawn into Heaven by the help of God that we freely accept. To be adopted by God as His own son or daughter in Baptism and to be nourished by the very Son of God, fully and entirely present in the Eucharist, gives us a tremendous opportunity to enjoy a life of grace and to live in love, joy, and peace as we journey to the embrace of God.
Also in Jerusalem, after His Resurrection, Jesus gives the Church the sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation (John 20:19-23). In this sacrament we have a meeting with the overwhelming mercy of Jesus Christ, who personally awaits us in the priest (who acts in persona Christi) in the confessional and is eager to forgive us and console us with grace to help us to be free from sin and alive in Him. Never doubt the amazing mercy of Jesus. He aches to pour out His mercy upon you and for you to give Him a chance at a life of grace and closeness and personal intimacy with Him.
With this blessed and divine help that comes from our God who loves us as His own adopted children and who desires our presence in Heaven, we will be able to pass through that narrow gate with joy.
Thank you for reading. Peace.
Eat the Scroll 