21st Sunday in Ordinary time Year C
Intro: the invitation to be a member of God's family is open to everyone, but it's not automatic. Being baptised will not of itself ensure entry into God's Kingdom. It requires our personal input - we have to work at it.
Readings: in this remarkable passage, Isaiah reminds God's chosen people that His generosity and salvation aren't meant solely for them; instead, people from all nations will come to worship on the Lord's holy mountain; while the author of Hebrews reminds us that children have to be trained and disciplined. In the same way, God trains the ones He loves, sometimes even through suffering, so that they may be strong in goodness and peace.
Isaiah 66: 18-21;
Hebrews 12: 5-7, 11-13;
Luke 13: 22-30
Jesus is asked, "Will there only be a few saved?" He didn't give a straight answer to the question, but His reply is unnerving: don't speculate about others, but rather look at yourselves - many will try, but not all will be successful.
The trap that Jesus' disciples fell into was believing that since they had a special relationship with Him, that would be enough to guarantee their place in the Kingdom: being Jewish = being saved! - they had eaten and drunk with Him, listened to Him talking. But the fact that the disciples were from the "in" crowd wouldn't guarantee them a place. Instead, He tells them to "enter by the narrow door." In other words, to try their best, to wrestle, to struggle, make a personal effort.
As Christians, as Catholics, we receive certain rights. But along with these rights come certain obligations. And again, Jesus draws a very clear picture of what He expects: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and keep it." So being Catholic isn't an automatic passport to Heaven. Passports and driving licenses go out of date, and have to be renewed. Our faith demands constant renewal through personal input and practice. For God to know, recognise and be familiar with us, we have to be equally familiar with Him and to Him: He has to be more than a passing acquaintance at Baptism, first Communion, marriage and finally on the shoulders of six other people! We need a real commitment to the faith, to live out on a daily basis the values of the Kingdom.
We'll have to struggle to reach out to those whom we see as unlovable - our modern-day lepers - the outcast, the drunk, the drug addict - even the paedophile! Remember - we're not asked to accept or condone the be haviour of those who have hurt or abused us; but we are asked to see the face of Christ in them, and to be the face of Christ to them. And that's the hardest bit. If we can't do it, then we may be the ones facing the closed door. We receive the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, so that we can be Christ's body in our world during the rest of the week. As we receive the Sacrament, He calls us to act as He would in our world.
Being the face of Christ to those we find most difficult to love, or even like, is the narrow door through which all of us are invited to pass, virtually our passport to Heaven. There are plenty of people in our own neighbourhood, in our own community, who need us to be the face of Christ to them. How do I allow my real commitment to God to transform the kind of person I am.
Maybe this week we should look at the quality of our own faith; to make sure that we make time for God in our daily lives. Do we simply go to Mass, or do we truly put the words of the Gospel into practice by really loving God and our neighbour throughout the whole week?
Intercessions
As God's people assembled in prayer, let us express our needs and concerns before our heavenly Father:-
I. For the Church. May She be the face of Christ in our troubled world, striving to bring the Good News to all nations, not only by Her preaching and teaching, but by the example She gives of true Christian charity - Lord, hear us.
2. For world leaders. May they come to recognise and respect the rights of different ethnic, social and religious groups which form their communities, especially in Ukraine - Lord, hear us.
3. For those who can only see the good in themselves and fail to see the reality of suffering in our world. Open their eyes to see Your face in others around them - Lord, hear us.
4. For ourselves. through our participation in today's Eucharist, encourage us to reach out to those in need, and be the face of Your Son to them - Lord, hear us.
5. Give a place of light and rest to Kenneth Sheerin, Fr. Charles McBride and John McCranor who have died in Your peace recently, and for Francis Miillar, Jean Henderson, Maurice Slattery, John Maurice Aitken, Agnes McKenna and Paul Kirwan, whose anniversaries occur about this time. May we share with them the glory of Your risen Son - Lord, hear us.
God our Father, You accept us just as we are, with our own faults and failings. May we learn to accept both ourselves and those whom we meet in the same way, so that we may become the people You created, intended and want us to be.