First reading Isaiah 66:18-21
They will bring all your brothers from all the nations
The Lord says this: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory. I will give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations. As an offering to the Lord they will bring all your brothers, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites bringing oblations in clean vessels to the Temple of the Lord. And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm 116(117)
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.
or
Alleluia!
O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him all you peoples!
Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever.
Second reading Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13
The Lord trains the one he loves
Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.
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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To strive to enter by the narrow door
In today’s gospel, somebody asked Jesus, “Will there be only a few saved?”. This person, a Jew, would most likely hold onto the conviction that Israel was a nation favoured by God and they had the unique privilege to achieve salvation. Jesus did not answer him directly. Instead, He said that the way to salvation requires effort to walk through the narrow door.
Salvation springs from a person’s personal encounter with Jesus, which leads him/her to live the identity fully as God’s beloved child, and an effort to follow Jesus and live as He did. Jesus wants us to understand that salvation is not a matter of entitlement but our daily response to Him. We do so by entering through the narrow door, which is to follow Jesus faithfully and walk His same path of loving service to all, especially the poor and the vulnerable.
Reflection question:
Am I committed to entering into the narrow gate and making Jesus’ way of life my own, or simply satisfied to have the title of “I am a Christian”?
Am I committed to entering into the narrow gate and making Jesus’ way of life my own, or simply satisfied to have the title of “I am a Christian”?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
