First reading Ephesians 6:1-9
Duties in domestic life
Children, be obedient to your parents in the Lord – that is your duty. The commandment that has a promise attached to it is: Honour your father and mother, and the promise is: and you will prosper and have a long life in the land. And parents, never drive your children to resentment but in bringing them up correct them and guide them as the Lord does.
Slaves, be obedient to the men who are called your masters in this world, with deep respect and sincere loyalty, as you are obedient to Christ: not only when you are under their eye, as if you had only to please men, but because you are slaves of Christ and wholeheartedly do the will of God. Work hard and willingly, but do it for the sake of the Lord and not for the sake of men. You can be sure that everyone, whether a slave or a free man, will be properly rewarded by the Lord for whatever work he has done well. And those of you who are employers, treat your slaves in the same spirit; do without threats, remembering that they and you have the same Master in heaven and he is not impressed by one person more than by another.
Responsorial Psalm 144(145):10-14
The Lord is faithful in all his words.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down.
Gospel Luke 13:22-30
The last shall be first and the first last
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.’
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Enter the narrow door by loving
“Try your best to enter by the narrow door…”. What is this narrow door that Jesus spoke about in today’s gospel passage?
The door we, as His disciples, are called to strive to enter is the narrow door of love. Love is shown best through concrete actions and not words. Examples of acts of love are: when a child falls ill, parents sacrifice time to care for him/her; when an elderly parent’s mind becomes feeble, the caregiver puts in extra patience to love; when we pray for a depressed neighbour; when we stand up for the truth in the office, etc. Thus, the narrow door of love implies having a love that is patient, trusting, kind, forgiving, courageous, peaceful, faithful and self-giving. Today, Jesus calls us to enter this narrow door of love, which makes us people of depth and maturity.
Reflective question:
What prevents me from entering the narrow door of love?
What prevents me from entering the narrow door of love?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
