Strive to enter through the narrow gate - (Lk 13:24)
Strive to enter through the narrow gate. This is the Lord Jesus' answer to the question: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” (cf. Lk 13:23) This short dialogue with the Lord Jesus shows a characteristic discrepancy in the approach to the issue of relationship to God. What is the question: Will a few be saved? What vision underlies the question posed in this way? It seems that the principle of reasoning is a kind of examination before someone: how many will pass it? In fact, the question is always about us whether we will be saved. But we do not ask directly, we do not ask: how are we to live so that we are saved, but we ask about "statistics" and based on it we build our hope: will we get it or not? Hence the anonymous question. The Evangelist writes: Someone asked him, (cf. Lk 13:23). A man without a face.
On the other hand, the Lord Jesus' answer is thoroughly personal: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, (cf. Lk 13:24). This is advice for anyone who listens. It is followed by an exhortation that is an appeal to the inside, to the heart understood as the center of our consciousness and our deepest choices: “For many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” (cf. Lk 13:24) Then there is only an elaboration of this exhortation by quoting a specific parable of the final judgment and summarizing it with the conclusion. The statement itself refers to the Jews who considered themselves close to God and at the same time close to Jesus through kinship and acquaintance.
"You cannot settle anything with God" - this simple statement of a Cistercian sister is a good reflection of the meaning of today's Gospel scene. You cannot "get" salvation. You cannot develop favor with Jesus, friendship, family closeness, companionship ... He very clearly and unambiguously said who is close to him, who is his brother and sister, and even his mother: "those who hear the word of God and fulfill it". Therefore, those who live this word, for whom God's will becomes thirst and food. They do not have to seek outward intimacy with Jesus, because they have it within them even when they do not recognize it: “And 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.” (cf. Lk 13:29)
Unfortunately, we often try to obtain salvation by external action, by belonging, by pious practices, which, however, do not transform our inner being. Often, we can afford even a great ascetic effort to prove to ourselves and to others that we are good and spiritual people. Let us see how much effort people can put in to achieve a medal in the Olympics. Just to get recognition. Unfortunately, the same is in the field of piety. You can take great actions and charitable works, do a lot for the Church, be very involved in prayer groups. But for Jesus, mere external involvement is irrelevant. All that matters is the heart's genuine response to his call: Follow me! Then He becomes the center regardless of the place and conditions.
The concern of the Lord Jesus centers around a specific person who turns to Him. He does not care about the abstract in general but speaks to us concretely about us and appeals to our heart. After all, nothing will come of this, that thousands of people will follow Him next to us, if we ourselves do not face Him personally and accept His call as a living word addressed to us. Only then can we be truly born. Nobody else can do it for us! And this is our most important concern: not general principles, social rights, ideas, but a concrete meeting and our "yes" to the living voice of the Lord, wherever we are, whoever we are, whatever we do in life. If we do not do this, we will hear at the end: "I do not know where you are from". (Luke 13:27)
Until Tomorrow
fr. george