21st Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - Strive to enter the narrow gate

 Nine days ago, we celebrated the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heaven. After a blessed life, devoted to serving the will of God—with a heart which embraced sorrow and suffering and unexpected joys, a mind which pondered God’s mysterious ways, Our Lady was assumed body and soul—certainly a unique entrance into heaven.

Entrance into heaven is the topic of conversation in the Gospel passage today. Who can be saved? Who can enter into heaven. Is heaven a promise only to a few?

And how does our Lord answer. Well, he doesn’t give a number. And he doesn’t say that yes, there will only be a few able to enter heaven, nor does say that everyone goes to heaven.

Rather, he describes the way by which all people are to seek heaven—the mode, the method, the manner, the attitude: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.”  We are to strive for heaven.

The word “strive” in the original New Testament Greek is a really interesting word. It’s Agōnize-es-the, from which we get the word agonize. Jesus tells us here to agonize to enter heaven—we are to struggle and strain for heaven. To borrow an image from St. Paul we are to be like athletes running exerting all of our strength to reach the finish line, pushing themselves through emotional and physical limits to reach the goal. 

Is that how most of us would describe our efforts to grow in holiness? In the practice of prayer and good works and seeking out souls, are we struggling and straining to use the time we’ve been given for the work of the Gospel? Most of us would need to admit, no we don’t. Which is why we pray over and over, Lord have mercy upon us. 

“Strive to enter the narrow gate” Notice the Lord doesn’t say, it’s important to have striven for heaven at one point in the past or it’s okay if you put off striving for heaven for when it is most convenient for you. Agōnize-es-the isn’t a past tense verb, it’s not a future tense verb, it’s in the present tense: “agonize now and don’t stop” The Christian life requires constant effort for heaven.

Now, there are some protestant denominations that seem to profess that as long as at some point in your life you’ve acknowledged that Jesus is God and Savior, that you are basically automatically guaranteed heaven. Some of us Catholics treat baptism with the same attitude. But that doesn’t align with the biblical data. Why strive if heaven is guaranteed? Baptism isn’t the end of the race; it’s the starting point. 

Throughout the Christian life, we face the constant temptation to slacken in our efforts for sanctification: I’ll begin to take prayer seriously tomorrow, I’ll go to confession next month, I’ll engage in some charitable work when it’s more convenient. I’ll begin reading the Bible just after binge watching this new show on Netflix: But what happens when we put off spiritual growth until tomorrow? To quote Meredith Wilson: “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.” Excuses about not getting serious about the Christian life leave us emptier and sadder for it.

The pursuit of heaven, the pursuit of spiritual growth, conversion from sin, docility to the inspirations of the holy spirit, this is to be first in our life. Seek first the kingdom of God. But then, on top of this immense, all-encompassing agonizing effort on our part to reach heaven, what does the Lord say next? He says, the gate of heaven is narrow. The width of the door to Heaven is the span of a needle’s eye, something that is anything but easy to pass through. 

Entering the narrow gate requires us to change. The behaviors and attitudes that are incompatible with heaven need to change:  our selfish clinging to sinful pleasures, our grudges and hatreds, our prideful self-aggrandizement. It needs to change into temperance, self-control, generosity, forgiveness, and humility. They need to change into Christ—who is Love.

Now many who presented with the demand for conversion have a negative reaction. Instead of conforming themselves to Christ, they complain about how narrow the gate is, how small it looks.  Many, when presented with the commandments of God and the teachings of the Church, say, 

“no, too narrow, too rigid, too outdated, for me”.  They lobby for the Church to change her teachings instead of exercising the humility and fortitude to change themselves. But that’s not what Jesus asks. “Strive to enter the narrow gate”.

It is a tough gospel, a tough lesson. But, isn’t it the message of the cross? The key to the narrow gate of heaven is the cross that the Lord has told us to take up and carry, each and every one of us.

“If this is the case, who can be saved?” we might find ourselves saying, like the apostles. God of course has not left us to accomplish the impossible on our own. He provides us the necessary grace, the strength, the assistance of the angels and saints, and the gift of us very life in the Eucharist. 

Jesus doesn’t leave us agonizing on our own, with all our weaknesses, staring at the uphill narrow road as a sheer, unscalable cliff. He gathers us together every week: guiding and teaching us by his word, bolstering us through our prayer together, joining us in the bonds of charity to accompany, encourage, and assist each other. And He feeds us the spiritual food of the Eucharist so that we might come to the eternal banquet of heaven.

And that’s how the Gospel today ends doesn’t it? With that beautiful image. Those who strive and strain to enter the narrow gate, from east, west, north, and south, will come to recline at the heavenly table in the kingdom of God. 

May we find our strength, our life, in the Eucharist today, to carry the cross, to strive to enter the narrow gate, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Wednesday - Holy Striving

 

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

The word translated “strive” in this morning’s Gospel is the Greek Word agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize. The implication here is that those who seek to enter heaven must do so through struggle and strain, like a running athlete exerting himself toward the finish line, all muscles taut and giving his all in the effort.

It can’t be a coincidence that Jesus’ passion begins with the “agony” in the garden, where shows us that even he strives, and agonizes, and sweats blood, to do the Will of the Father.  

Entering heaven requires real effort on our part to conform our lives to the will of the Father and the teachings of Jesus Christ. We can’t simply slide into heaven. 

This effort takes many forms in the Christian life. First, there is the daily effort of self-denial - the small but constant choices to put God's will above our own desires. Whether it's choosing to bite our tongue rather than speak in anger, or rising early for prayer when we'd rather sleep in, these daily exercises of virtue prepare us for larger spiritual challenges ahead.

Then there is the effort of perseverance in faith during times of darkness and doubt. Just as Jesus faced his moment of agony with the words "Not my will but yours be done," we too must sometimes wrestle with God's will when it seems difficult or unclear. This is not a sign of weak faith, but rather an opportunity to exercise spiritual endurance.

There is also the effort of charity - the deliberate work of loving others as Christ loves us. This means actively seeking the good of others even when it costs us something. It means forgiving those who hurt us, serving those in need, and building up rather than tearing down. 

And perhaps most importantly, there is the effort of continual conversion - the ongoing work of examining our lives, recognizing our sins, and striving to change with God's grace. This is not a one-time event but a lifelong process of allowing God to reshape us into the image of Christ.

But let us be clear: this spiritual striving is not mere human willpower. We do not earn our way into heaven through our own efforts alone. Rather, our striving takes place within the context of God's grace, which both enables and perfects our efforts. Like branches drawing life from the vine, our spiritual exertions bear fruit only when they're energized by God's own life within us.

The narrow gate beckons us to this holy striving. Will we strive for heaven? The choice is ours, but the grace to succeed is God's gift to all who truly seek Him.

So let us embrace this blessed striving - knowing that the One who calls us to enter through the narrow gate has already blazed the trail before us, showing us not only the way, but giving us the strength for the journey for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Let us pray for the needs of the Church and the world:

For the Church, that in our daily striving for holiness, we may be strengthened by God's grace and encouraged by the example of our Lord.

For all who serve in ministries of charity, that their efforts to love and serve others may be sustained by divine grace and bear abundant fruit.

For our parish community, that we may support one another in the daily exercises of self-denial and grow together in holiness.

For all victims of war, for peace in the Holy Land, an end to the violence and the consolation of the suffering. May God come to the assistance of the communities and families devastated by terrorism and war; and may world leaders work together for peace. 

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know God’s consolation, healing, and grace.

For the faithful departed, that having strived to follow Christ in this life, they may now enter through heaven's gate into eternal joy, we pray to the Lord...

Loving Father, hear these our prayers, and bless us with the grace to strive for holiness on our journey toward heaven, through Christ our Lord.

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Strive to enter through the narrow gate

 On Monday, this past week, the Church celebrated the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heaven. The Son of God came into the world so that each of us likewise might spend eternity, body in soul, in heaven alongside her. 

And in today’s Gospel, the Lord tells us how to do just that: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” 

Let’s dive into that most poignant line. The word “strive” in the original New Testament Greek is a really interesting word. It’s Agōnize-es-the, from which we get the word agonize. Jesus tells us here to agonize—struggle and strain to enter heaven. The implication here is that those who seek to enter the narrow gate must do so by real effort, like an athlete making exerting all of his strength to reach the finish line, all muscles taut—almost seeming to push, push, push past his emotional and physical limits. 

Is that how most of us would describe our efforts to grow in holiness? In the practice of prayer and good works? Are we struggling and straining to use the time we’ve been given for the work of the Gospel? Most of us would humbly admit, no we don’t. Which is why we pray over and over, Lord have mercy upon us. 

Notice the Lord doesn’t say, it’s important to have striven for heaven at one point in the past or it’s okay if you put off striving for heaven for when it is most convenient for you—to strive to enter the narrow gate at some indeterminate time in the future. Agōnize-es-the isn’t a past tense verb, it’s not a future tense verb, it’s in the present tense: “agonize now and don’t stop” The Christian life requires constant effort for heaven.

Now, there are some protestant denominations that profess that as long as at some point in your life you acknowledge that Jesus is God and Savior, that you are basically automatically guaranteed heaven. Some of us Catholics treat baptism with the same attitude. But that doesn’t align with the biblical data. Baptism isn’t that end of the race, it’s the starting point. 

And, on the other hand, many say, well, I’ll begin to take prayer seriously tomorrow, I’ll go to confession next month, I’ll engage in some charitable work when it’s more convenient. I’ll begin reading the Bible just after this season of Gray’s Anatomy (is that still on, I have no idea?) But what happens? To quote Meredith Wilson: “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.” Excuses about not getting serious about the Christian life leave us emptier and sadder for it.

To be saved, to enter the Kingdom, to get to Heaven, you need to strive for it now and until you draw your last breath. 

And on top of this immense, all-encompassing agonizing effort on our part to reach heaven, what does the Lord say next? The gate of heaven is narrow. The width of the door to Heaven is the span of a needle’s eye, something that is anything but easy to pass through. 

Listen to Matthew’s version of today’s Gospel, where the Lord says “The gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. But the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it” In other worse, The highway to hell is wide and easy; the road to heaven, the road to life is difficult, and not found by everyone.

And notice Jesus doesn’t say, complain about how narrow the gate is, how small it looks.  Many souls are presented with the commandments of God and the teachings of the Church, and say, 

no, too narrow, too rigid, too outdated, for me”.  They seek to refashion the gate and make it wider. They lobby for the Church to change her teachings instead of having the courage and fortitude to change themselves. But that’s not what Jesus asks. 

Entering the narrow gate requires us to change, and the behaviors and attitudes that are incompatible with heaven, incompatible with Church teaching, all need to be eradicated from our lives: our selfish clinging to sinful pleasures, our grudges and hatreds, our prideful self-aggrandizement. And this is all very hard, to let go of the bad habits and sins we have cultivated over the years.

C.S. Lewis’ wrote a powerful allegory called “The Great Divorce” in which he describes two types of people, those who are willing to give up their selfish clingings and those who get to go to heaven and there is a great divorce, a great chasm between them.

It is a tough gospel, a tough lesson. But, isn’t it the message of the cross? The key to the narrow gate of heaven is the cross that the Lord has told us that we must take up and carry, each and every one of us.

The daily examination can be a tremendous help in letting go of our vices and carrying our crosses more faithfully. The daily self-diagnosis: where have a dropped the cross today? Where have I failed to strive and strain for beatitude?  Where have I fallen into old habits—that so unfortunately keep me from the freedom and joy God wants for me, had I strived and struggled just a little harder?

Now of course this doesn’t mean we can’t physically and emotionally rest from our labors. The human body needs rest, we need the sabbath, we need a vacation now and then, but even leisure is to be placed at the service of striving for heaven. I rest because I must in order to serve God.

And again, this all sounds impossible. But the key is to try. And God knows how we try and how we don’t. But he also doesn’t leave us to accomplish this impossible task on our own. He gives us the strength we need at Mass, in the Eucharist. 

Jesus doesn’t leave us agonizing on our own, with all our weaknesses, staring at the uphill narrow road. He gives himself to us to strengthen us on the inside so that we might finish the race and keep the faith. We can indeed do all things in him who strengthens us. He empowers us by his word, he bolsters by the intimate friendship of prayer, and fortifies us by the awesome gift of Holy Communion so that united with him we might follow him step by step. The Mass—where we are fed and strengthened with prayer, worship, word and sacrament is a foretaste for those who persevere of the heavenly banquet.

And that’s how the Gospel today ends doesn’t it? With that beautiful image. Those who strive and strain to enter the narrow gate, from east, west, north, and south, will come to recline at the heavenly table in the kingdom of God. 

May we find our strength, our life, in the Eucharist today, to carry the cross, to strive to enter the narrow gate, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

1st Week of Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - Marking our days with prayer

 

On Monday, we heard Jesus begin his public ministry with powerful words of preaching. Yesterday, we heard Jesus take on the powers of hell, casting out a demon from a possessed man in the Capernaum synagogue. Today, we heard of Jesus healing, not just an individual, but a whole town. We’ve had quite a display of Jesus divine power and authority. 

After his very busy first day in Capernaum, presumably Jesus goes to sleep, like any ordinary man. For Mark tells us that he rose, again, presumably, he rose from sleep, but what a beautiful foreshadowing of the resurrection. He battles the powers of evil, sleeps, and rises early in the dawn. Kind of like Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter, where Jesus definitively defeats the powers of evil on the cross, sleeps the deepest sleep of death in the tomb, the rises in the early morn on Easter Sunday.

Christians reading Mark’s Gospel, those who already know the end of the story, would pick up on this foreshadowing. But imagine you are hearing this story for the first time. Who is this man, who fishermen leave their livelihood immediately to go and follow, who demons claim to know as “The Son of God”, who can miraculously cure an entire village of people, before retiring for the night and then rising early to pray.

And why is he praying. If he is the Son of God, to whom is he praying? Given this stunning display of power, how humble he must be, to speak and act with divine authority, but then go and kneel down in a deserted place to pray to God in heaven. 

Mark’s Gospel will depict Jesus praying on several occasions. Prayerful communion with his heavenly Father will also mark his ministry. Though he is God, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus shows how he seeks—prayerfully seeks—to do the will of his heavenly Father. He is subject to the Father, he obeys the Father, he prayerfully agonizes over the father’s will in the garden of gethsemane, but he remains faithful to his Father, always.

By his example, he teaches us that prayer must mark our days and our deeds too. We, like him, to do well, beginning the day with prayer, rising at dawn, or whenever we awaken, and immediately turning our hearts and minds to heaven. We like him, need to seek quiet deserted places throughout the day to seek guidance and refreshment. In those moments of temptation, agonizing over difficult decisions, we must pray fervently. And on our crosses, in moments of suffering, we, like our Lord must pray, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the preaching and teaching and governance of the Pope, Bishops, and clergy may be free from all error and imprudence, and be a source of constant strength and guidance for the Church.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

That frequent prayer will mark the lives of every Christian, as we seek to do the will of the heavenly Father. 

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Wednesday - Strive to enter through the narrow gate

 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

The Greek word translated “strive” in this morning’s Gospel is agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize. The implication here is that those who seek to enter the narrow gate must do so by struggle and strain, like a running athlete straining toward the finish line, all muscles taut and giving his all in the effort.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that Jesus’ passion begins with the “agony” in the garden, where he strives, and agonizes, to do the Will of the Father.  

The narrow gate of faithfulness is difficult for us because of our human pride, our attachment to sin, our attraction to worldliness and sensual delight, and of course the opposition of Satan.

Despite the difficulty and opposition, Jesus urges us to strive—to agonize—to enter the narrow gate.

Notice Jesus doesn’t say, stand at the gate, look at it, and complain about how narrow it is.  Some Christians look at the commandments of God and teachings of the Church and reject them, claiming that they are too narrow, too rigid or outdated.  They seek to refashion the gate, and make it wider.  But that’s not what Jesus asks.

Entering the narrow gate requires us to change.  Sometimes we are clinging to things that just can’t pass through the narrow gate: our selfish clinging to worldly delights, our grudges, our fears.  We are called to make the adjustment to our minds and hearts, to let go of all that keeps us from following Christ more wholeheartedly.  

Through the Eucharist we celebrate today, may God give us the strength to strive to follow the way of Christ amidst all obstacles and worldly temptations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the faithful of our parish may strive for holiness in their personal habits, their relationships and daily endeavors.

That young people will be blessed with good Christian example from their parents and fellow Christians, and that the word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every Christian home. 

During and following this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, Catholics may take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession. 

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for deceased clergy and religious, for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

21st Sunday in OT 2019 - Strive to enter through the narrow gate

In the course of his public ministry, Jesus is asked a lot of questions. After all, he is a teacher; he has disciples who call him “rabbi”. Sometimes people ask questions about his motives, he is asked, “why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?”; sometimes he is asked about his identity, “who are you? Are you the one who the scriptures foretold? Are you the messiah?”, other times Our Lord is asked to give commentary on the moral law, or the law of moses, “is it lawful to divorce and remarry?”

And quite typically, one of the hallmarks of Jesus’ teaching is that he often does not answer questions directly. He often redirects the question to consider matters of greater importance.

When asked in today’s Gospel, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?", the Lord doesn’t answer with a yes or no, as the question would dictate. Rather, he seems to indicate that the question “how many people will be saved” isn’t nearly as important as the question “HOW will we be saved?” The number of the saved isn’t nearly as important as the manner by which we are saved. The Lord leads the questioner to consider what is of greater importance.

In a similar incident, when asked when the world was going to end, he didn’t answer the question directly, there either; rather he urged the questioners to “prepare themselves.” For knowing the day or the hour isn’t as important as the need to prepare your soul through repentance.

Again, the Lord reorients the questioner to consider what is of greater importance. That shifting, that reorienting is at the essence of the Christian life, isn’t it? Christianity reorients us, from focusing on what is of lesser importance to what is of greater importance. What is of greater importance, the earthly or the heavenly? What is of greater importance, the size of your house, the neighborhood in which you live, or if you make your home a Christian home where the love of God is practiced? What is of greater importance, seeking wealth, fame, and power, or holiness, humility, and service?

Now the worldly soul might say, well does it matter? What does it matter if my life is focused on the worldly? What does it matter if my life is focused on non-essentials? Why do we need to be reoriented?

Part of it has to do with joy. In the end the earthly does not give us true joy. And the Lord say, “I have come that you might have joy, and your joy might be complete.” You might think that the biggest house on the block will bring you joy, but what actually gives joy is that the house is filled with people who you love and who love God, that your home is filled with the peace that the world cannot give. You might think that wealth, fame, and power bring your joy, but we know that pursuing these things alone leads to exhaustion. You might think that the million-and-one non-essentials will bring you joy, but our hearts are restless until they rest in God.

And the deeper reason we need conversion, the heart of the matter, isn’t just that these million-and-one non-essentials leave us exhausted and joyless in this life, but rather, that there are eternal consequences at stake. What we do in this life echoes into eternity. And in the end there are only two possibilities for our eternal souls, which the Lord describes in today’s Gospel, one way that leads to the “wailing and grinding of teeth” and the other “to reclining at table” at the eternal banquet in the kingdom of God. As the ancient Christians put it: there is one way that leads to life, and another that leads to death, and there is a great chasm between the two.

So, how can we be saved? What is the way that leads to everlasting life, “how can we come to that place at God’s eternal table?

““Strive to enter through the narrow gate”. Heaven cannot be taken for granted. We must strive for it, we must make every effort to reach it. The Greek word, translated as strive, in the Gospel today, is the word “agonizomai” from which we derive the word Agony. Agonize, make the supreme effort. The greeks used this word to describe the effort of the Athlete who seeks to win the Olympic games and to survive hand-to-hand combat with your mortal enemy. Do you want to be saved? Are you doing everything you can to be saved?

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus’ passion begins with the “agony” in the garden, where he agonizes over abandoning his will to the will of the father. He sweats blood over it?
Notice Jesus doesn’t say today, stand at the gate and complain about how narrow it looks.  Some Christians look at the commandments of God and teachings of the Church and reject them, claiming that they are too narrow, too rigid, outdated.  They seek to refashion the gate, and make it wider.  But that’s not what Jesus commands here.

Rather, Entering the narrow gate requires us to change.  It requires that we conform ourselves to its narrowness, to deflate our egos if our egos are too big, to let go of the attitudes which are not of christ, to drop the selfish clinging to worldly pleasures, grudges, and fears if they are keeping us from following Jesus in the way of love and self-sacrifice.

This all seems very hard, very difficult, and perhaps unpleasant. But, that’s where our Second Reading reassures us, that to those who allow themselves to be disciplined by God, for those who strengthen their drooping hands and weak knees, for those who allow themselves to be corrected and converted, they will know peace, they will know the peaceful fruits of righteousness, they will know themselves as children of a good God who seeks what is best for them, who desires that we become our best selves, who we seeks our salvation from all those self-destructive vices and attitudes.

It is a tough gospel, a tough lesson. But in the end it’s the message of the cross, it’s the essence of Christianity: let those who wish to follow me, deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me,” says the Lord. And we know that the cross, and the cross alone is the royal road to heaven, it’s the secret to true joy, and eternal life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.