SUNDAY OF THE 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (LUKE 13: 22-30)

21ST AUGUST 2022

“WILL THE SAVED, BE YOU?”

The truth of human life certainly is More Beyond this present materialistic life “More Beyond” the transitory nature of this earthly life. Consequently, one of the prime aspects among the questions concerning the life after this life is; What will happen after I die? Where will I go after my death? Is there such thing called as a heaven or hell? Will God really punish or will He lavish the license of heaven to all? Such eschatological questions often disturb our minds and we become a bit perplexed over an uncertain future.

The world view today is that anyone and everyone will be saved no matter who they are, what they do, or what they believe in. The suggested view of today is that all will be saved!! They think most everyone will make it to heaven. Is that belief true? I’m not one to sugar coat anything because the reality is that everyone has the same opportunity to get there but not everyone will take that road.

The Gospel of the Day presents such an eschatological question being posed to Jesus: “Lord, will only a few be saved?” (Lk 13:23). Jesus did not answer the question directly. Instead, He directed the question away from abstract theological speculation and toward specific application for each person in the crowd. Jesus turns the question not into how many will be saved, but how will you be saved? The man had asked, “Will the saved be few?” Jesus turned it around to ask, “will the saved, be you?”

In his response, Jesus gives us the church some important and practical lessons on the subject of salvation: Salvation requires our earnest effort, our urgent attention, and our careful selfexamination. It requires our earnest effort because the door is narrow and exclusive, not wide and all-inclusive. It requires our urgent attention because the door is soon to be closed, press on while the door is open! It requires our careful self-examination because once it is closed, the door will be eternally-closed.

“Strive” can be literally translated “keep on striving,” it’s a continual action, from this word we get our English word agonize, and has the idea of fighting or struggling, or carrying out a task with intense effort. Strive comes from a Greek word used of athletic contests and of war. Obviously, it implies a great deal of effort. You don’t win wars or athletic contests by being passive. Every athlete who wins strives to win. He invests great energy and effort into winning. It is not an accident if he wins. It is the result of deliberate and sustained effort. Not everyone receives the prize. Only a few are winners.

The fact that the door is narrow implies that it takes some deliberate thought and effort to go through it. There is one and only one door, which is Jesus Christ. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). The entrance is narrow and exclusive, not broad and all-inclusive. Jesus is the gate, and we can only enter through Him by making a faith commitment to Him for our salvation.

We must live a life of faith, in the midst of challenges and crises. We must live in total repentance and brushing aside sin at every point of life! We must live a life seeking to live in tune with God’s Will, even if it is demanding! Are you striving to enter the narrow door? Are you making your salvation a matter of deliberate and sustained effort? Are you sure that you’re entering the narrow door as defined by Jesus and not a broad door of your own choosing?”