The Narrow Gate

In today's Gospel Luke 13: 22-30, Jesus speaks about those who will gather around the banquet table in His kingdom, those who strove, here on earth, "to enter [eternal life]  through the narrow gate." Jesus reminds us that many will not enter that narrow gate because they will not be strong enough to do so!  Strength comes from the Lord, the creator and redeemer of all! Strength comes to those who recognize Jesus as their Savior, as the one who alone can take them through that "narrow gate".

The narrow gate is  the gate through which Jesus journeyed while here on earth--obedient to a Higher Power.  Obeying the Father's will led to Jesus' death by people who were jealous of Him and who were concerned that others were listening to His teachings and worried that so many were following His way of humility, honesty, righteousness, justice and love for all persons and especially for sinners, the oppressed, the poor, and the outcasts of His culture!

Choosing the "narrow gate" of holiness, as Jesus showed us, will lead to conflict with those who choose the broader gate.  "Everyone is doing it," is the reason so many choose to follow the crowd through the broader gate. It's easier!  No sweat! No sacrifice!  "You'll be like God," Satan told Eve and Adam in the Garden!  How many people act as though they are a God, the Higher Power others are to emulate! As with Adam and Eve in the Garden, many fall for Satan's lies and reject the "narrow way."

What choices are you and I making?

Righteousness and Eternal Life

In today's first reading, Romans 6: 19-23, St. Paul expands on yesterday's Scriptures. As "slaves of sin," Paul tells us, we "were free from righteousness. But what profit did you get...?For the end of those things [which are offensive to God and separate you from Love] is death.  But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life."

All of us are on a journey that leads to eternal life.  We will be given an option when we die, I believe,  as we are now given: choose life or choose death, eternal death that is!  Just as now we are asked whether or not we want to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, so, too, in death, I believe, we will be asked that same question.  On this side of the grave, all things work for the sanctification of those who believe. And even when I am in a period of unbelief, even when I have turned away from God, God waits for us to come back to Him. And when we do, He opens His arms to receive us into His heart.  He welcomes us in the same way as the Father of the prodigal son welcomed his wayward son, rejoicing, throwing a welcome-home party, giving us the best of what He has: sanctification and salvation!

Belonging to God

St. Paul, in today's first reading, Romans 1: 1-7, reminds you and me that we "belong to Jesus Christ", not to anyone else. No, not even to our parents or grandparents, husbands or wives.  We belong to Jesus, the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe, the Savior of humankind.  What does that literally mean? How do we get our arms around that belief? Or do we? Is it a mystery of God's incredible love in that God, through His Son's death and resurrection, has adopted us as His sons/daughters?  As  adopted sons or daughters of God, that also means that we are heirs of God.  The inheritance awaiting us is heaven itself, that is, eternal life with God: the all Good, the only Good, the ultimate Good, the absolutely Good, infinite Goodness, Compassionate Goodness, Merciful Goodness.   Who does not want to be with that kind of Goodness?

God does not enforce this Goodness upon us, however. God does not coerce us to accept His Infinite goodness or our eternal inheritance.  We can  turn our backs on God. We can follow our will and not God's. We can say "No thank you" to God, even though, as the psalmist says in today's responsorial psalm: "His right hand has won victory for [us], his holy arm."  That victory means eternal life with God forever for those who reverence God, acknowledge God, accept God as Lord of the Universe and Master of all humankind!

I accept God's gift of infinite love, mercy and forgiveness. I want to become one with God in all I do and say! How about you?

The Eternal Wedding Feast

In today's Gospel, Matthew 22: 1-14, Jesus speaks to us through the parable of a king who gives a wedding feast for his son.  Twice the king sent out servants to invite in wedding guests. The invitation was ignored by some. Others beat and even killed the servants. The king, enraged, sent out troops to destroy the murderers.  When the feast was ready, the king sent other servants out to invite "whomever you find."  Both the good and the bad were invited and the "wedding hall was filled with guests".  One person entered "without a wedding garment" and was thrown out "into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth," as "many are invited, but few are chosen."   

Obviously, Jesus is speaking about the banquet in heaven to which we are all invited. Will you and I 1) ignore the invitation, 2) beat the messengers physically and/or verbally with rebellious words and/or with words that ridicule, 3) kill the messengers, 4) attend the banquet without "a wedding garment" with which we are clothed by good needs, by love and forgiveness of others, by generosity and helpfulness to the poor and needy, by repentance, honest admission of wrong-doing and acceptance of God's mercy, by justice in relating to others?

What choices are you and I making by the way we live our lives?

Making Right Choices

Choose life, we are asked in today’s first reading, Dt. 30: 15-20, by turning your hearts to the Lord, listening to God and not allowing yourself to be “led stray and adore and serve other gods.”  Moses reminds the Israelites that he has “set before[the]  life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.  For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers/[mothers] Abraham [and Sarah], Isaac [and Rebecca], Jacob [and Leah and Rachel].”

The questions you and I need to ask ourselves are: Am I choosing life? Am I choosing blessing? Am I choosing to love the Lord, our God, with my whole heart, mind, soul and will?  Am I heeding God’s voice and holding fast to the Lord? Or am I making choices that are not life-giving? Am I holding fast to promises that are not in line with what God is asking of me?  Am I serving idols, non-gods, God-substitutes? Am I seeking security in wealth, money, an accumulation of material things, sex—running from one relationship to another and another and giving sacrificial love to no one? 

In today's Gospel, Luke 9: 22-25, Jesus says to us:  If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily..."  Am I refusing to take up the cross of serving others, making sacrifices for others in my love for them,  of being faithful to the vows I have taken in marriage or in religious life?

Paul's Message: "Time is Running Out"

In today’s first reading, 1 Cor 7: 25-31, Paul, at the time, believed that the second coming of Jesus was  about to occur so he advised people to not to engage in pursuing new interests, not to seek marriage or “a separation from marriage.” “Time is running out,” he says to the disciples of the Lord.  What would you and I do if we believed God was coming to escort us into the glories of eternity today, tonight, next week or month or year? If you and I faced the poverty of having very little time left here on earth, what would we do? 

In today’s Gospel, Luke 6: 20-26, Jesus says: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hunger, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh….” Am I, I ask myself, hungering for the Kingdom of God? Am I hungering for justice and peace, love and understanding, mercy and goodness to radiate from my being today as I interact with others?  Am I thirsting for what the Lord is thirsting and for what He thirsted as He hung on the cross on Good Friday and, today, as He hangs on the crosses of other people’s pain: the pain of immigrants fleeing their homeland seeking safety and a better life for their children, the pain of those who are victims of human trafficking, drug trafficking and slave labor, the pain of parents watching their child starve to death for physical and/or spiritual nourishment, the pain of parents contemplating an abortion or reeling from the guilt of having killed the child in their womb because they believed they did not have another choice, the pain of a family member watching the agony of an elderly parent suffering from  Alzheimer’s or watching a child suffering from an addiction that is sapping them of their former, happy, productive, loving self?

“Time is running out,” Paul says. What will I do to make a difference today, to be Christ in today’s world, whether is it the last day of my life or the beginning of my life for the next 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70 years?  The choice is mine to make! May I choose wisely!

Challenges, Choices and Consequences

The incredible presence, nearness, and power of our God is always at work in our lives, as testimony in today’s Scripture readings provide.  In the first reading, Daniel 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 we have the story of Susanna,  who is falsely accused by wicked judges.   Condemned to die, Susanna cried out aloud: O eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before they come to be: you know that…[these judges] have testified falsely against me. Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things with which these wicked men have charged me.”  As Susanna is led away to be executed, Daniel, inspired by the Holy Spirit, refused to go along with the court’s decision and asked the people to return to court.  Questioning the two accusers separately, Daniel exposed their lies and, according to Mosaic law, they were put to death in her place.

Both Susanna and Daniel are God-fearing persons. Both are attuned to the Spirit within them as they faced challenging situations in their lives. The two evil judges, however, do not rely upon the Spirit’s power available to them but followed the lustful, wicked voices within human nature.  We all have evil and good residing within us, a voice in tune with God’s will and a voice opposing God’s will.  We always have choices to make, as did Susanna, Daniel and the wicked judges! So, too, did the people of the court, who could have ignored Daniel or responded to him. Fortunately, they chose the latter. 

What kind of choices am I making in my life? To which voices am I paying attention? Remember, God is always present. His power is always available to us, especially when we face evil knocking at our doors!

Choices that Lead to Abundant Blessings

In today’s first reading, DT. 30: 15-20, God says to us: “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom…..Choose life…that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life….If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, …you will certainly perish.”

Every day you and I are faced with choosing to listen to the Lord, our God, to heed His voice and follow his ways or follow the ways of the world and get caught in the snares of Satan—secularism, narcissism, individualism and relativism, to name a few, and the gods these serve.   However, when we choose the fullness of life Jesus speaks about in the Gospels and which God offers, we will prosper, not necessarily according to the standards of the world  but definitely according to the Holy Spirit who readily bestows the following life-giving gifts:   inner peace, inner joy, the strength of the Spirit, God’s abundant love active within our choices and God’s light in the dark moments of life.  

The choice of  “life and prosperity, [heeding the voice of the Spirit],  death and doom [ignoring the Spirit’s lead]”  is ours to make. If I choose my will over God’s, my choices will block the blessings God is prepared to give in abundance.

Which choice will you make?

A New Jerusalem Being Built by God

In today’s first reading, Isaiah 26: 1-6, Isaiah prophesies that God is building a New Jerusalem. This New Jerusalem will be a home for the poor and lowly and for those who trust in the Lord.  In Isaiah’s words:

“A strong city have we;
He sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.
Open up the gates
to let in a nation that is just,
one that keeps faith.
A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;
in peace, for its trust in you.”

That nation of firm purpose is the nation of God’s Kingdom built upon Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, built upon the powerful foundation of eternal life won for us by Jesus’ giving of His life for the salvation of the world.  God’s Kingdom is strong.  Satan will not prevail against the walls and ramparts of a city built by our God.

What does that mean for you and me? 

“What it means, Dorothy Ann, is that this City already exists.  You have a choice to enter it—the gates are open.

How do I enter in, Jesus?

You enter it whenever you choose to do good and resist evil. The choice is yours to make.

And if I do not make those kinds of choices?

Then, you delay experiencing the power of my resurrection assisting you to make right choices and avoid the temptations that weaken your will and dull your senses.

I delay the experience of how You have redeemed me?

Yes, you delay experiencing your ability to choose good and resist evil.  The grace awaits you. Eventually you will experience My Kingdom within you and around you. Eventually you will come through the open gate because I never close it!  The choice is yours to come through it.  I will wait for you to make those kinds of choices by which you experience the strength of the walls and ramparts by which I protect you from that which is not in your best interest from God’s perspective. And remember, I never let you go.  I paid a great price for your salvation and I will not be denied.

God, our Deliverer

In the antiphon of today’s responsorial psalm, Psalm 34, we are told that  “From all their distress God rescues the just.”  Our journey here on earth is one of learning that fact by seeking  the Lord above all else: to seek the Lord in our joys and sorrows, in our triumphs and failures, in our anxieties and our moments of confidence, in sickness and in health.  We need to discover that to which the psalmist gives witness, namely, that when we seek the Lord, the Lord answers us and delivers us from all our fears.  The psalmist reminds us that “[w]hen the poor one called out the Lord heard and from all his distress he saved him.” 

 Do  I approach the Lord as “a poor one”?  Do I even recognize my poverty (my spiritual poverty, that is)?  Do I come to the Lord in my distress or do I medicate my distress with addictive use of drugs and alcohol, food and sweets, gambling and shopping, Internet surfing or watching TV, running from one relationship to another and another and another, or whatever addictive behavior I use to numb out?  It is easier to run from our discomfort than to examine it in prayer.  The choice is ours: to call upon the Lord of hosts, a warrior, a comforter, a redeemer  or to seek comfort in ways that simply repress the pain, a pain that resurfaces with a vengeance the next time we are hurt.

What is your choice?