From: Luke 13:22-30

The Narrow Gate

[22] He (Jesus) went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and
journeying toward Jerusalem. [23] And some one said to him, “Lord, will
those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, [24] “Strive to enter by
the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
[25] When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will
begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ He
will answer you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ [26] Then you will begin
to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
[27] But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart
from me, all you workers of iniquity!” [28] There you will weep and gnash your
teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the
kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. [29] And men will come from
east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of
God. [30] And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who
will be last.”

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Commentary:

23-24. Everyone is called to form part of the Kingdom of God, for he “desires
all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4). “Those who, through no fault of their own, do
not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God
with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as
they know it through the dictates of their conscience: those too may achieve
eternal salvation. Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for
salvation to those who, without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an
explicit knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good life.
Whatever good or truth is found among them is considered by the Church to be
a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they
may at length have life” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 16).

Certainly, only those who make a serious effort can reach the goal of salvation
(cf. Lk 16:16; Mt 11:12). Our Lord tells us so by using the simile of the narrow
gate. “A Christian’s struggle must be unceasing, for interior life consists in
beginning and beginning again. This prevents us from proudly thinking that we
are perfect already. It is inevitable that we should meet difficulties on our way. If
we did not come up against obstacles, we would not be creatures of flesh and
blood. We will always have passions that pull us downwards; we will always
have to defend ourselves against more or less self-defeating urges” ([St] J.
Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 75).

25-28. As at other times, Jesus describes eternal life by using the example of
a banquet (cf., e.g., Lk 12:35ff; 14:15). Knowing the Lord and listening to his
preaching is not enough for getting to heaven; what God judges is how we
respond to the grace he gives us: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who
is in heaven” (Mt 7:21).

29-30. Generally speaking, the Jewish people regarded themselves as the sole
beneficiaries of the messianic promises made by the prophets; but Jesus
proclaims that salvation is open to everyone. The only condition he lays down
is that men freely respond to God’s merciful call. When Christ died on the cross
the veil of the temple was torn in two (Lk 23:45 and par.), a sign of the end of the
distinction between Jews and Gentiles. St Paul teaches: “For he [Christ] is our
peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall [...]
that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making
peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross,
thereby bringing the hostility to an end” (Eph 2:14-16). Therefore, “all men are
called to belong to the new people of God. This people therefore, whilst remaining
one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in
order that the design of God’s will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one
in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should
be finally gathered together as one” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 13).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Romans 8:26-30 ©

The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

Psalm

Psalm 12:4-6 ©

Lord, I trust in your mercy.

Look at me, answer me, Lord my God!

Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death,

lest my enemy say: ‘I have overcome him’;

lest my foes rejoice to see my fall.

Lord, I trust in your mercy.

As for me, I trust in your merciful love.

Let my heart rejoice in your saving help.

Let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me,

singing psalms to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Lord, I trust in your mercy.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.2Th2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Through the Good News God called us

to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.

‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!”

‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’