The saints in heaven as linked by prayer with their fellow Christians on earth. The Sunday Gospel
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Last Sunday, we heard him say that he had come to bring fire to the earth and that he would have to plunge into the sea of suffering, a prospect that caused him great distress. Somebody came up to him and asked, “Sir, will there be only a few saved?” (Luke 13:22-30). It’s very likely that the questioner was a Jew who believed that only Jews had any chance of getting to heaven. Many of us grew up convinced that only Catholics would be saved. Others say that only those who have the experience of being born again will be saved, or that they are already saved. At the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus gives his answer to the questioner. Salvation will not be limited to one race or one religion. People will come from east and west, north and south to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. And, surprise, surprise, many who are now considered to be last will in fact be first, whereas those who now think they are first will be last in the race.
What can we do about it? The advice of Jesus was, “Try to enter by the narrow door.” The narrow door does not mean being narrow-minded. It means being focused: having a clear idea of where you want to go and how you plan to get there. Be like the free-taker, the archer or the golfer who has to focus on the target. The archer shuts one eye in order to eliminate distractions. The old Greek word for sin means missing the target. As a less than mediocre golfer, on the sixth hole where I play, I am haunted by a copse of trees on the left of the fairway. I change my stance, or my grip or the club I use but invariably the ball lands among the trees. If only I could discipline myself to eliminate distracting thoughts and commit myself fully to where I want to go! If you don’t aim to go somewhere you will end up going anywhere, and there is no guarantee that this will be a good place. Nowadays we meet people who want to be spiritual but not religious: to believe but not to belong: or to use God but not to listen to God. The target of life demands commitment.
The permissive culture of today resents being subjected to rules and dogmas. Don’t put in on my freedom. It is my right to choose. As a result of permissiveness, people have taken their focus off the target of salvation. Life has become a succession of disconnected moments with no big picture to frame all together. There is no backbone to life and all hope can collapse in the face of a single crisis. It is significant that in this permissive age we hear of boredom, inertia, depression, chemical dependence and suicide. One moment of crisis and everything collapses. Faith gives us the big picture of where we have come from, where we are going, and how to get there. We have come from God our Creator and life is a journey of returning to God. Jesus once called himself the door. Focus on his way and enter by the narrow door. As we heard last Sunday, “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the beginner of our faith and the one who leads it to perfection”.
Maintained
Our theology teacher of years ago, Fr David, wrote to Carl Jung, the famous psychoanalyst, asking him if he still maintained what he had once written, that among his patients in the second half of life, not one of them reached healing without sorting out one’s relationship with the higher power. Fr David showed us Jung’s reply stating that all those years later his conviction was even stronger. This letter was written a few months before he died.
Narrow door
“Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you many will try to enter and will not succeed.” If you are asked by a street preacher if you are saved, the right answer refers to past, present and future. In the past my salvation has been won by Jesus Christ my Saviour. In the present, as the Gospel recommends, I am trying to be a faithful follower, trying to enter by the narrow door. As regards the future, my hope is to hear his invitation welcoming me to what today’s Gospel calls the feast in the kingdom of God. Elsewhere, Jesus linked that heavenly invitation to the practical works of charity: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving a cup of water, visiting the sick – because the way we treat other people is the real test of true faith. The Letter of St James is very clear on this, “as a body without a spirit is dead, so is faith without good deeds” (James 2:26). St John’s Letter asks how can we love God whom we have never seen if we do not love the people that we do see.
How can you judge if you have entered through the narrow door of discipleship? One good way is to ask if you are producing the fruits of the Spirit more than the fruits of self-indulgence. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (5:22) has a list of nine fruits.
Three fruits relate to our relationship with God: love, joy and peace. A Spirit-filled relationship with other people can be seen in patience, kindness and goodness.
The final three fruits are signs of a strong inner life: trustfulness, gentleness (particularly being gentle with yourself) and self-control. These beautiful virtues are a living proof that a person is cooperating with the Holy Spirit in a life that is focused on the narrow door to salvation.
Prayer
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people. Enkindle within us the fire of your love.
Direct us in the journey of life. Help us to keep our lives focused on our eternal salvation.
Fr Silvester O’Flynn’s book Gospel Reflections and Prayers is available at Columba Books.