| Homily
for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 26, 2007
Given by the Most
Reverend Stephen E. Blaire at the Cathedral of the Annunciation
in Stockton.
There are over 1 billion Christians throughout
the world. You might ask a question like someone did of Jesus.
How many of this great number of Christians will be saved?
I believe the appropriate response is the same as that of
Jesus: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for
many I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong
enough.”
Jesus does not talk about how many but rather
about HOW to enter the kingdom of God. How does one live the
Christian way of life? How does one enter into salvation?
What must one strive to do to enter through the narrow gate?
It is a way of life that demands a total allegiance to Christ.
It means that we must give our all to believe in God and in
His Son Jesus Christ and to live a moral life “a virtuous
life” in conformity with the will of God. “Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven.”
It is possible that there are people in the
Church who say they believe in Christ, even attend Mass, receive
Holy Communion and have heard the message of the Gospel, but
do not carry the truths of the Gospel into their daily lives.
They are careless and forget about the reality of God in the
real world in which they live. They simply live as if God
did not exist. They do not strive to enter by the narrow gate.
They are not strong enough and they end up living dishonest
and less than virtuous lives.
This may seem like a teaching that is
too hard for us in a world where the emphasis is on pleasure
and self indulgence, making lots of money, placing ourselves
out in front of everybody else, forgetting that we are members
of the human family and we need to take care of one another
and of our world But notice what Jesus said: STRIVE to enter
by the narrow gate. The passage ends with God welcoming peoples
from all parts of the world to the table in the Kingdom. God
wants us to be at the table and God’s grace will help
us to get there. But we do need to strive to enter by Faith
in God and by living moral lives.
Last Update August 29, 2007
|
