Homily
for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)
Based
on Lk 13:22-30
(Gospel), Is 66:18-21 (First Reading) and Heb 12:5-7,
11-13 (Second
Reading)
From
the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
NARROW
DOOR
“Try your best to
enter by the narrow door” (Lk 13:24a)
The Gospel
reading for this Sunday is taken from Lk 13:22-30. Verse 22 and 23 say: Through
towns and villages he went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said
to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them…
Parallel texts are:
1.
Lk 2:38 - She
came by just at that moment began to
praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward the
deliverance of Jerusalem.k Footnote
k says “The messianic
deliverance of the Chosen People, 1:68; 24:21, primarily affected their capital
city; cf Is 40:5; 52:9 (and see 2 S 5:9+). FrLk, Jerusalem is God’s chosen
centre from which will spread his salvation: 9:31,51,53; 13:22,33; 17:11;
18:31; 19:11; 24:47-49,52; Ac 1:8+”.
2.
Lk 9:51 - Now as the time drew near for him to be taken
up to heaven, k he resolutely
took the road for Jerusalem…
Footnote k says “Lit. ‘for his taking up’. This ‘assumption’
of Jesus, cf. 2 K 2:9-11; Mk 16:19; Ac 1:2,10-11; 1 Tm 3:16, refers to the last
days of his suffering life (Passion, death) and the beginning of his glory
(resurrection, ascension). Jn, thinking more theologically, uses the word
‘glorify’ in connection with the whole of this period, Jn 7:39; 12:16,23; 13:31f;
for him the crucifixion is a ‘lifting up’, Jn 12:32+.”
Verse 24 says: Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you,
many will try to enter and will not succeed.
Parallel
text is Mt 7:13-14 that says: Enter by the narrow gate, since the road broad that leads to perdition
is wide and spacious,c and
many take it (v. 13); but it is a
narrow the gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it (v. 14). Footnote c says “Var.
‘the gate that leads to perdition is wide, and the road spacious’.”
Verse 25
says: Once the master of the house has got up and
locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord,
open to us” but he will answer, “ I do not know where you come from”.
Parallel
text is Mt 25:10-12 that says: They had gone off to buy it when the
bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was
closed (v. 10). The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,”
they said “open the door for us”
(v. 11). But he replied, ‘Amen, I tell you solemnly, I do not know you (v. 12).
Verse 26 says:
Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your
company; you taught in our streets”
Parallel text is Mt 7:22-23 that says: When the day
comese many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name? (v.
22). Then I will tell them to their
faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men (v. 23)! Footnote e
says “The day of the final Judgment.”
Verse 27 says: But he
will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked
men!”
Parallel text is Ps 6:8 that
says: Away from
me, all you evil men! For Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping…
Verse 28 and 29 say: Then there will be weeping and
grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from the
east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the
feast in the kingdom of God.
Parallel text is Mt 8:11-12 that says: And I tell you that many will come from
east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the
feastc in the kingdom of heaven (v. 11); but the subjects of the
kingdomd will be turned out into the dark, where there will be weeping
and grinding of teeth.’e Footnote c says “Basing their idea on Is 25:6, the Jews often
described the joyous messianic era as a banquet (cf. 22:2-14; 26:19p; Lk 14:15;
Rev 3:20; 19:9)”; Footnote d
says “Lit ‘the sons of the
kingdom’, that is to say the Jews, natural heirs of the promises. Their place
will be taken by the pagans, who prove more worthy”; and Footnote e
says “Scriptural image for the dismay and frustration of the wicked as seeing
the virtuous rewarded, cf Ps 35:16; 37:12; 112:10; Jb 16:9. In Mt it is used as
a description of damnation.”
Verse 30 says: ‘Yes, there are those now last who
will be first, and those now first who will be last.’
Parallel texts are:
1. Mt
19:30 - Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.
2. Mt
20:16 - Thus the last will be first, and
the first, last.’b Footnote
b says “Add.
‘For many are called, but few are chosen’, probably borrowed from 22:14.”
3. Mk
10:31 - Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’
The First Reading is taken from Is 66:18-21. Verses
18 and 19 says: I am coming to gather
the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory. I will give
them a sign and send some of their survivorsm to the nations: to
Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal and Javan, to the distant islandsn
that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to
the nations. Footnote m
says “i.e. of the nations conquered
by Yahweh.”
Verses 20
and 21 says: As an offering to Yahweh they will bring all your brothers, on
horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations
to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says Yahweh, like Israelites bringing
oblations in clean vessels to the Temple of Yahweh. And some of them I will
make priests and Levites, says Yahweh.
Parallel text
is Ps 87:7 that says: And there will be princes dancing there.f
All find their home in you.g
Footnote f
says “‘princes’ MSS and versions;
‘singers’ Text. Rec. ‘dancing there’, lit. ‘as dancers’. The nations are made
freemen of the city and their princes are allowed to sing and dance in her
sacred liturgy, 149:3; 150:4; cf. 2 S 6:5; and Footnote g says “Following Greek. Hebr. ‘all my water-sources
are in you’.”
The Second Reading is from Heb 12:5-7, 11-13. Verse 5 says: Have you
forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not
treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you.
Parallel text is Pr
3:11-12 that says: My son, do not spurn correction from Yahweh, do not resent
his rebuke (v. 11); for Yahweh reproves the man he loves, as a father checks a
well-loved son (v. 12).
Verses 6
and 7 say: For the Lord trains the ones
that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering
is part of your training;b God is treating you as his sons. Footnote
b says “To the eyes of faith, the various trials of
life are all part of the way God is bringing us up. The argument depends on the
biblical concept of education, mÚsar, paedeia,
mean ‘teaching through hitting, punishing’, cf. Jb 5:17; 33:19; Ps 94:12; Si
1:27; 4:17; 23:4.”
Parallel text for verse 6 is Rv 3:19 that says: I am the one who reproves and disciplines
all those he loves: so repent in real earnest.
Verse 11 says: Of course, any
punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but, later, in
those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Jn 16:20 - I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the
world rejoice; but your sorrow will turn
to joy.i Footnote i says “The
happiness of seeing the risen Christ after the sad days of his Passion, cf.
20:20.”
2.
2 Co
7:8-11 - But to tell the truth, even if I distressed you by my letter,b
I do not regret it; I did regret it before, and I see that that letter did distress
you, at least for a time (v. 8); but I am happy now - not because I made you suffer,
but because your suffering led to your repentance.
Yours had been a kind of suffering that God approves, and so you have come to no
kind of harm from us (v. 9). To suffer in God’s way means changing for the
better and leaves no regrets, but to suffer as the worldly knows suffering
brings death (v. 10). Just look at what suffering in God’s way has brought you:
what keenness, what explanations, what indignation, what alarm! Yes, and what aching
to see me, what concern for me, and what
justice done (v. 11)!c Footnote b says “The ‘severe letter’, cf. 2:3+”; and Footnote c says “i.e.
to the guilty man. Paul is enumerating the effects his ‘severe letter’ had on
the Corinthians, cf. 2:5-8.”
3.
1 P 1:6-7 - This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time
have to bear being plagued by all sort of trials (v. 6); so that, when Jesus
Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold – only
more precious than gold, which is corruptible even though it bears testing by
fire – and then you will have praise and glory and honor (v. 7).
4.
Jm 1:2-4 - My brothers, you will always have your trials
but when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege (v. 2); you
understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient (v. 3),
but patience too is to have its practical resultsc so that you will become fully developed,
complete, with nothing missing (v. 4). Footnote c says “James,
in the tradition of the Jews, believes the essence of religion is its practical
value in actions, cf. 2:14+.”
Verse 12
and 13 say: So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and
smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it
will grow strong again.
Parallel text of verse 13 are:
1.
Is 53:3 …a
thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with
suffering, a man to make people screen their facesc; he was despised
and we took no account of him. Footnote
c says “The expression
was used of lepers.
2.
Pr 4:26 - Let the path you
tread be level, and all your ways made firm.
The narrow door of life is the
way of disciple and correction. Footnote b
of Heb 12:7 says
“To the eyes of faith, the various trials
of life are all part of the way God is bringing us up. The argument depends on
the biblical concept of education, mÚsar, paedeia, mean ‘teaching through
hitting, punishing’, cf. Jb 5:17; 33:19; Ps 94:12; Si 1:27; 4:17; 23:4.
For the poor and miserable people,
“pain and suffering are the condiments of life”.
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