Luke 13:22-30

Ephesians 6:1-9

Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14

Luke 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,

teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.

Someone asked him,

“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

He answered them,

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,

for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter

but will not be strong enough.

After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,

then will you stand outside knocking and saying,

‘Lord, open the door for us.’

He will say to you in reply,

‘I do not know where you are from.’

And you will say,

‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’

Then he will say to you,

‘I do not know where you are from.

Depart from me, all you evildoers!’

And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth

when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God

and you yourselves cast out.

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.

For behold, some are last who will be first,

and some are first who will be last.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, show me the path that leads through the narrow gate! Guide each of my steps as I walk toward you. Strengthen me with your grace as I attempt to enter through the narrow gate.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Strive to Enter through the Narrow Gate: On his final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus entertained a question about how many people would be saved. He didn’t answer the question directly. Rather than focus on the number of those who will be saved, Jesus invited the person to work out their own salvation and strive to enter through the narrow gate of salvation. As Paul would later write to the Philippians: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Our initial salvation is not based on our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our final salvation, however, depends on a lifetime of keeping the faith (2 Timothy 4:7-8), following the commandments (Matthew 19:17), persevering in good works (Romans 2:7), striving for holiness (Hebrews 12:14), praying in earnest (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and fighting against the forces of evil (Ephesians 6:11) and the selfish demands of the flesh, which drag us down (Romans 8:13; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27) (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 359).

2. Reclining at Table in the Kingdom of God: Jesus uses the image of reclining at table in the Kingdom of God as an image of the age of salvation. Jesus ties the ingathering of the twelve tribes of Israel to dining at the long-awaited banquet in the kingdom of God. The Israelite tribes, who were scattered among the Gentile nations in 722 B.C. by the Assyrians, as well as the Gentiles, among whom the tribes were scattered, will both be ingathered, not in the earthly Promised Land or earthly city of Jerusalem, but in the banquet of the heavenly kingdom. Those who reject Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom will be cast out and excluded from the kingdom. We see the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophetic proclamation in the celebration of the Eucharist. Men and women from all nations and cultures are gathered daily and weekly to partake of Jesus’ flesh and to drink Jesus’ blood. In the Eucharist, we enjoy a foretaste of the banquet of heaven.

3. Paul’s Teaching on Household Relationships: In the concluding chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul deals with life in the household. He has just dealt with the relationship between a husband and wife and how they should be mutually subordinated to one another and love one another (Ephesians 5:21-33). He follows this by exhorting the children in the household to obey their parents and invokes the fourth commandment to honor one’s parents. He then exhorts parents to educate and rear their children “with the training (paideia) and instruction of the Lord.” Both children and parents have duties and responsibilities toward one another. Likewise, he exhorts slaves and masters. In Paul’s day, one-third of those who lived in the Roman Empire were slaves. People often became slaves because of debt they were unable to repay. In a countercultural way, Paul exhorts masters to treat the slaves who lived in their household in a considerate manner that Jesus would find acceptable. In short, while slaves are encouraged to serve willingly and honestly, masters are called to respect their servants and refrain from any harsh treatment (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 353).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have welcomed me into your Father’s house. I belong to the household of God! What an awesome, unmerited grace! Walk with me along the path that leads to and through the narrow gate of salvation.

Living the Word of God: Do I have a clear understanding of what entering through the narrow gate means? Where do I most need the power and strength of God’s grace in my life? Where is there evil and sin in my life? How can I work with God’s grace to overcome any habitual sins, conquer vice and imperfections, and grow in holiness?