“Will only a few people be saved,” Jesus was asked. Some scripture scholars tell us that the questioner was likely expecting Jesus to affirm the belief that Gentiles, foreigners could not be saved. So he must have been taken aback with the response. ‘The gate is narrow,’ Jesus basically answered, ‘but open to all’ but not automatically.
In the first reading from Isaiah, the Lord said, “I come to gather nations of every language . . . they shall bring their brothers and sisters from all the nations.” Jesus said in the Gospel reading, “people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and we will recline at table in the kingdom of God.”
The universal Catholic Church includes those from all nations and from all directions. The Church on the prairie was built by immigrants from distant shores and Native Americans who were here decades before. At first German, Irish, French, English immigrants as priests, sisters, and laity came to South Dakota. Now we are enriched by immigrants from the many countries of Central and South America, Africa and Asia. This history and present reality reminds us of the diversity in the Church that can sometimes be difficult to comprehend.
I remember talking to some priests from Nigeria who were serving in the Diocese of Madison my former home. People complained that they could not understand them when they spoke. But these priests responded that they could not understand some of our American ways. One commented about the seeming lack of respect for the elderly, shocked over the number living alone or unvisited in nursing homes. In Nigeria, he said, families take care of their older relatives at home. It is a family responsibility. Of course many courageously do so here as well. One of the most difficult decisions I had to make was placing my grandmother in a nursing home to assure sufficient care. We should be grateful to the caregivers who do treat the elderly and vulnerable with respect and dignity. Yet it is good to be challenged by the diversity of cultures so that our moral decisions are thought through, respectful of life and not casually or selfishly made. They may affect whether we can enter the narrow gate.
Jesus also clearly states that though all have the opportunity to be saved, not all will be. Some he predicts will try to enter by way of a wider gate that allows the parameters to be determined by them. There is no such gate.
So what does it take to enter the narrow gate? It takes discipline. There are two forms of discipline. There is the discipline a loving parent imposes on their children for their good and to teach them. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us: ‘do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him, for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines.’ He continues: . . later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.” The parameters of the healthy discipline are set forth in the moral and social teachings of Christ’s Church.
The second form of discipline is that which we impose on ourselves. We can choose what it takes to grow in holiness. It includes a healthy prayer life, participation in the Church and the sacraments as a priority, and the humble recognition that we need a personal relationship with Christ which allows us to respect others even those we have a hard time liking. When our spiritual roots are shallow, it shows in our increased vulnerability to temptation, to be judgmental and to strain personal interactions thereby carrying baggage too great for the narrow gate.
The story is told of four year old Andrew who spilled food from the table making quite a mess. His mother became angry and screamed at him. Andrew responded as only a youngster can,” Mommy, you forgot to ask Jesus to help you be nice today, didn’t you? “
As the psalm reminds us, we ought to ‘praise the Lord for steadfast is his kindness to us, even in those times when we are not kind or may doubt his unconditional love. It is in choosing to trust in God’s will and God’s way during the trials and crosses of our lives that we remove the excess weight that might prevent us from passing through the narrow gate. Instead of crying woe is me, we might better ask what is God teaching me through this experience. Or as Saint Padre Pio whose relics will be on display here in the Cathedral next month put it: “don’t’ ask why; ask what am I supposed to do.” The writer of Hebrews advises: “strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees, make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.”
We can do so if we take one day at a time with thought to the future, not being overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task nor underestimate the impact we can have by witnessing our faith well. St. Bernard said every morning he would ask himself “why am I here?” His daily response was: ‘to seek to live a holy life’. Each of us can so seek to better live a holy life whatever our status or condition.
During a severe storm, hundreds of star fish were washed ashore on an ocean beach. Later a little boy walked along the beach throwing the fish back into the water one by one hoping they might live. A man watched him and called out to the boy, “you’re doing great, little guy, but frankly it’s not going to make much difference with so many”. The boy picked up another fish and as he threw it into the surf said, “maybe not, but it sure made a difference for that one”. We can make a difference for others and for ourselves when we keep perspective, our sights realistic and our lives focused on growing in holiness by following the teachings of Christ and his Church, doing the best we can each day, and then turning our future over to God whose mercy is without limit.
Why are we here today: to grow in holiness, to strive to be able to enter the narrow gate into the heavenly banquet. The good news: all are invited. There is a wakeup call in that invitation however: the response is up to us.