XXI Sunday of the Year

ENTRY FOR ALL…
… THROUGH THE NARROW GATE

Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30

Readings for the XXI Sunday of the Year

Outside a place of worship in South India hangs a signboard that reads: “No entry for dogs and Christians.” There are some beaches and restaurants in India where no Indian is allowed! Shocking!

But there are places with equally shocking “no entry” signboards even if these are less obvious and perhaps invisible.  Some churches in India do not allow Dalit Christians to enter. In Anumanthanpatti in southern India, they have a separate cemetery and an exclusive hearse. 

Very little has changed from biblical times! The Jews, especially the Pharisees and the Scribes, had a “no-entry” sign for heaven: “no-entry” for non-Jews, for tax collectors and prostitutes, for those broke the smallest of the commandments. The Jews considered that they were the “chosen ones”; the kingdom of heaven was exclusively for them.

This attitude prompts the question we heard in today’s Gospel: “Will those who are saved be few?”

Jesus does not answer the question. He refuses to speculate on numbers; he looks forward to the time when people will come from all parts of the world and sit at table in the kingdom of God. He looks forward to the fulfilment of Isaiah’s vision in the first reading (Isaiah foretells a time when people from all nations, on all modes of transport, shall come to Jerusalem). 

The “no-entry” signs are off. Jesus’ signboard reads: entry for all; there are neither reserved places nor favoured people. But there is the fine print: entry is restricted to those who choose the “narrow gate”! Jesus changes the focus from general statistics to the individual and to individual responsibility. We must walk his way of the cross and keep his commandment of love.

All of us have no “no-entry” signboards. 

What are the “no-entry” signs in my life? Whom do I exclude from my circle of life and my circle of relationships? 

What is the meaning of the narrow gate for me? Am I ready to choose the discipline of the narrow gate? 

Let us ask Jesus who welcomed all and loved all to help us remove the “no-entry” signs from our lives and to give us the strength to walk through the narrow gate.