Homily for the week of August 22, 2010

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: CYCLE C, 2010

Isaiah 66:18-21;Psalm 117:1, 2; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30

One of the beautiful things about little children is that they go through a stage of asking endless questions. As we read the Gospel for today we get the impression that many of those who asked Jesus questions were like little children. They were not really interested in the answers but merely curious.

Jesus, as a good teacher, answers every question. He does not give them or us a YES norNO answer. Jesus often does not give straight answers to questions posed to him. Today’s Gospel story, for instance, starts with someone asking him, “Will only a few people be saved?” It seems like a straightforward question about numbers. But Jesus perceives that the questioner and the others whom he was teaching were not really as concerned about the final head count as they were about whether they themselves would be included among the redeemed. Jesus seldom gives his questioners the kind of answers they expected. As today he usually answers their questions by telling them a story or by giving them an example. Jesus tells them a story about a man who locks up his house. He hears a knock at the door but does not open up the door. His example gives us an example of who are on the inside and who will stand weeping and grinding their teeth.

The Jewish people at the time of Jesus use to brag about being the chosen people. But Jesus is telling them today that there are foreigners that also will be saved. And even more surprising is that some of these, who once did not belong, will be appointed as religious leaders of the people. God calls them brothers and sisters. Jesus turns their thinking around by sayingTHERE ARE NO CHOSEN PEOPLE, THERE ARE NO CHOSEN RACES. To Jesus, being saved is a matter of EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. He reminds them of the words of Isaiah: I CAME TO GATHER NATIONS OF EVERY LANGUAGE. Being Jewish was no guarantee of salvation. People from every land and nation will be saved.

God it seems has a taste for all the folks that others don't like. God made a group of Hebrew slaves his chosen people. God's preference for those excluded from society goes against the grain. He welcomes those that society often shuts out or locks up.

But Jesus is telling us that not everyone is going to be saved. Furthermore, the opportunity to respond to Jesus' offer of salvation has a time limit. We can run out of time. Being a Catholic is no shortcut to salvation. Jews and Protestants and Muslims will be saved. What will save us, however, is by putting God first in our lives. Our Catholic faith teaches us how to be in tune with Christ.

Jesus invites each of us to be his personal follower not just admirers of Jesus. We are to be more than people who show up for church from time to time. We have to be even more than those who show up for church all of the time. Followers of Jesus are men and women, boys and girls, teenagers who practice their faith every minute. They are those who try their best to make spiritual discipline part of their daily life.

For several weeks many high school students from Saranac Central School and other local schools have worked out and practiced for the fall sports season. Growth in our spiritual faith can be compared to the development of an athlete. Training is hard, difficult and exhausting. But the more demanding the training, the more likely the athlete will be able to deal with the pressures of competition. A coach who would allow athletes to do whatever they want on and off the practice field is not coach, and the team would most probably lose all of its games. It is like someone who goes to the gym but only watches other people practice. Such a person is not considered a member of the team or prepared to make it to the finish line. Think of God as our coach in our practice of religion. God, however, is not a cruel coach, but a partner in our struggles for spiritual perfection. He pulls along with us. He holds our life together in his loving hands. To get to heaven we must stay in shape with the same intensity that we try to stay in shape to make an athletic team, or pass a test, or get a promotion, or pass a physical exam.

We ask Jesus: Will I be saved? Jesus reminds us that we will be saved if we are willing to follow Him and His teachings and commandments. Jesus presents Himself as the “narrow gate” through which entrance is, not won, or achieved, but offered. The “not strong enough” are those who through their own weakness of faith cannot hear and accept Jesus and His ways of living the human life. Each of us must try to get close to God. We must want to be good, but to be good means that we must pay a price. Some of us may find the price too high and go shopping elsewhere. Most of us, however, will want to walk the same road that Jesus walked. In prayer, in Holy Communion, in His words of the bible, Jesus provides us the food and the road map for our journey. At times it may seem like we are on a rough road with a lot of detours and dead ends, but each of us individually have been given our own road map. And so to the question:WILL I BE SAVED. Jesus replies: I WILL STRENGTH YOUR DROOPING HANDS AND WEAK KNEES." BELIEVE ME, I WILL CARRY YOU IN THE PALM OF MY HAND. Today let each of us promise to PUT GOD FIRST!