Introduction: As he continues his fateful journey to Jerusalem, Jesus answered the question as to how many would be saved by answering four presumed questions: Who will be saved? How? Why? When? Jesus clearly explained that any one who followed him through the narrow gate of sacrificial serving and sharing love would be saved. Jesus also admonished His followers to concentrate on their own salvation rather than worrying about other peoples' salvation. In the first reading, addressing the returning Babylonian exiles, the prophet Isaiah corrected them telling them that salvation was not a Jewish monopoly, and hence Yahweh welcomed the pagans also into Judaism. The prophet ended his great book as it began with a vision of all the peoples of the world streaming toward Jerusalem and acknowledging and praising the God of Israel. In the second reading, exploring with his readers the consequences of Christian commitment, St. Paul explained “the narrow gate” of Jesus as pain and suffering resulting from God’s loving disciplining of His children. The responsorial psalm, "Go out to all the world and tell the Good News,” reflects the mission of God’s chosen people to be instruments of salvation to the whole world.

Exegesis: “Are you saved”? When the questioner asked Jesus “How many will be saved?” he was assuming that the salvation of God's Chosen People was virtually guaranteed, provided they kept the Law. In other words, the kingdom of God was reserved for the Jews alone, and Gentiles would be shut out. Hence Jesus' answer must have come as a shock. Jesus declared that entry to the kingdom was never an automatic event based purely on religious faith or nationality. What Jesus is saying is that salvation is not guaranteed for anyone. Jesus declares that nobody can claim that he is “saved,” possessing a "visa" to heaven. Jesus came to bring God's love and freedom to the whole world. The message of his Gospel is that there was not a single person, not a single people, nation, race, or class, which would be excluded from experiencing the love and liberation that God offered. Hence the role of the Christian community from the beginning until now has been first and foremost to proclaim to the whole world the Good News of about God's love for the world, and then to show this Good New to be real, reflected in the sharing and serving lives of individual Christians. So to be "saved" means to live and to die in a close loving relationship with God and with others.

Jesus issued a series of sayings and parables that emphasized the difficulty involved in entering God’s kingdom, and he stressed the need for constant fidelity and vigilance throughout our lives. Jesus also insisted that salvation was an urgent matter -- the "narrow gate" was open now but would not remain so indefinitely (“the master of the house will lock the door”). Then he added two conditions: a) Eternal salvation was the result of a struggle: "keep on striving to enter.” It is like the effort one would make in swimming against the current in a river. A man must ever be going forward or else he will go backward. b) We must enter through the "narrow gate" of sacrificial and selfless service.

The narrow gate: Most cities of the ancient world were surrounded by walls that had large gates in them. Jerusalem had about twelve gates that were large enough for two-way traffic. People moved through these gates to do their business, to shop, and to visit their friends. These gates, however, were closed at night in case the city came under attack by an invader. There were also smaller gates through which individual citizens could be allowed into the city by the guards without exposing the city to danger. It was these smaller, or narrower gates that Jesus was talking about. These smaller gates were like turnstiles – only one person at a time could enter through them.

The irony of Jesus' image is that the narrow gates were the proper way to enter the kingdom precisely because they were just wide enough to receive a single person – anyone who was willing to do sacrificial service for the glory of God. In other words, entering through the narrow gate denoted a steady obedience to the Lord Jesus -- overcoming all opposition and rejecting every temptation. It was the narrow way of unconditional and unremitting love. Mere faith in Jesus and membership in his church by baptism could not guarantee salvation

“Being saved’ is not a Protestant idea. Protestants, in fact, took the idea from Catholics. But in Catholic theology, "being saved" is the end result - seeing God face to face in heaven, and not a ready-made “passport and visa” as some of our Protestant brothers claim. Jesus explains that salvation begins with faith. But it is also the result of how that faith is lived, as seen in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets. We, too, believe that we cannot “earn” our way into heaven by good works but we also believe that we must allow God to work in our lives through His grace, a grace that is reflected in our actions.

Hence our answer to the question: “Have you been saved?” should be: “I have been saved from the penalty of sin by Christ’s death and resurrection. I am being saved from the power of sin by the indwelling Spirit of God. I have the hope that I shall one day be saved from the very presence of sin when I go to be with God.” Bishop Sheen says that we will have three surprises in heaven: 1) There will be many there whom we never expected; b) there will be many absent whom we expected to see; and c) we will be surprised that we ourselves got in.

Messages: 1) Make wise decisions and choose the narrow gate. God allows us to decide every day what road we will walk down and what gate we will choose. He encourages us, however, to choose His way: “Choose life” (Moses – Deut 30:19-20), “Choose this day whom to serve” (Joshua – 24:15),”If God is Lord, follow Him” (Elijah – 1 Kings 18:21). “There are two paths: one of life and one of death, and the difference between the two is great.”(Didache) In other words, the "narrow road" or "narrow gate" concerns our everyday living—our relationship to God and to one another. To enter the narrow gate involves being with the blessed ones being salt and light consistently, following Jesus’ radical way about murder/anger, adultery/lust, divorce, truth-telling, mercy over revenge, loving enemies. And it involves doing good deeds for the right reasons; it involves pursuing the kingdom and God’s justice instead of fortunes and fame; and it involves not damning the others. It involves repentance, obedience, humility, righteousness, truth and discipleship. Hence we are to strive to enter through the “narrow gate” by prayer and supplication, diligently seeking deliverance from those things which would bar our entrance, and acquiring those things which would facilitate our entry

2) Check your track on a daily basis. The parable of the locked door warns us that the time is short. Each day sees endings and opportunities missed. “Opportunity will not knock twice at your door.” Remember the old "Examination of Conscience" we were asked to make at the end of each day in which we ask God pardon for the faults and sins of the day? "How conscious was I this day of God's numerous gifts? How well did I respond to the opportunities to witness and serve in Jesus' name: to forgive, feed, clothe, and love those who entered my life? How much did I strive today to enter through the narrow gate of sacrificial love in action?'" We might conclude this self examination with a short prayer: “I need you Jesus Christ. Grant me forgiveness for my sins. Make me a new person. I need your Holy Spirit to direct me, to strengthen me, so that I can walk in the narrow way and choose the narrow gate. I need you to change me from a self-centered, self-sufficient person into your wise servant.”



1) Irish solidarity on the “wide way” to hell. The Irish pastor said, “Everyone who wants to go to heaven stand up!” and the whole church stood up. And he said, “And those who want to go to hell, remain standing!” At the back of the church, old Murphy remained standing. The pastor said, “Murphy, do you want to go to hell?” Murphy said, “No, Father… I just hate to see you go there all by yourself!” (No offence intended to my great Irish friends!).

2) Don’t you want to be “saved?” A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest went out for a Sunday afternoon flight in a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot the plane started to go down. Finally the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out. Unfortunately there were only three parachutes remaining. The doctor grabbed one and said, I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live." He snatched the first parachute and jumped. The lawyer then said, "I'm the smartest man in the world, I deserve to live," and he snatched a ‘parachute’ from the boy and jumped. The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take this last parachute and live in peace.” The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Don’t worry, Father. The smartest man in the world just took off to hell with my back pack thinking that it was my parachute.”

Father Cantalamessa on the Narrow Gate
Pontifical Household Preacher Comments on Sunday's Readings

ROME, AUG. 24, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.

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Enter Through the Narrow Gate
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30

There is a question that has always nagged believers: Will there be many or few people saved? During certain periods this problem became so acute as to cause some people terrible anxiety.

This Sunday's Gospel informs us that Jesus himself was once asked this question. "Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, 'Lord, will only a few people be saved?'"

The question, as we see, focuses on the number -- How many will be saved? Will it be many or few? In answering the question, Jesus shifts the focus from "how many" to "how" to be saved, that is, by entering "through the narrow gate."

We see this same attitude in regard to Jesus' second coming. The disciples ask "when" the return of the Son of Man will happen and Jesus answers indicating "how" we should prepare ourselves for that return, and what to do during the time of waiting (cf. Matthew 24:3-4).

Jesus' way of responding to these questions is not strange or discourteous. He is just acting in the way of one who wants to teach his disciples how to move from a life of curiosity to one of true wisdom; from the allure of idle questions to the real problems we need to grapple with in life.

From this we already see the absurdity of those who, like the Jehovah Witnesses, believe they know the precise number of the saved: 144,000.

This number, which recurs in the Book of Revelations has a purely symbolic value (the square of 12 -- the number of the tribes of Israel -- multiplied by 1,000) and is explained by the expression that immediately follows: "A great multitude that no man could number" (Revelations 7:4, 9).

Above all, if 144,000 is really the number, then we can both close up shop. Above the gate to heaven there must be a sign like the ones parking lots put up: "Full."

If, therefore, Jesus is not so much interested in revealing to us the number of the saved as he is in telling us how to be saved, we can understand what he is trying to tell us here. In substance, there are two things: one negative and the other positive.

It is useless, or rather it is not enough, to belong to a certain ethnic group, race, tradition, or institution, not even the chosen people from whom the Savior himself comes. What puts us on the road to salvation is not a title of ownership ("We ate and drank in your presence..."), but a personal decision, followed by a consistent way of life. This is even more clear in Matthew's text which contrasts two ways and two gates, one narrow and the other wide (cf. Matthew 7:13-14).

Why are these ways respectively called "narrow" and "wide"? Is it perhaps that the way of evil is always easy and pleasant to follow and the way of goodness always hard and tiresome?

Here we must be careful not to cede to the usual temptation of believing that here below everything goes magnificently well for the wicked and everything goes terribly for the good.

The way of the wicked is wide, but only at the beginning. As one goes down this way it gradually becomes narrow and bitter. In any case, it becomes very narrow at the end because it finishes in a blind alley.

The joy that is experienced in it has the characteristic of diminishing more and more as one tastes it, and it finally causes nausea and sadness. We see this in certain forms of intoxication experienced in drugs, alcohol and sex. A larger dose or stronger stimulation is needed each time to produce pleasure of the same intensity.

Finally the organism no longer responds and it begins to break down, even physically.

The way of the just is instead narrow at the beginning, when one starts off on it, but it then becomes a spacious boulevard because hope, joy and peace of heart are found in it.

With a powerful catechesis, the Pope riffed on this Sunday's readings at today's Angelus:

“Dear brothers and sisters, if we want to . . . pass through the narrow gate, we must commit ourselves to being small, that is humble of heart like Jesus; like Mary, His and our mother. . . . Christians call upon Her as Ianua Caeli, Gate of Heaven. Let us ask Her to guide us in our daily choices, take us to the path that leads to ‘Heaven’s Gate’.”...

Benedict XVI joined the devotion to Mary and the Gospel’s needs by explaining a ‘perplexing’ passage from the Holy Scriptures quoted in this Sunday’s liturgy, when Jesus said: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough (Lk 13:23-24).”

The Pontiff explained that in Christianity there are not “privileged gateways”. “The gateway to eternal life is open to all, but is ‘narrow’ because it is demanding, requires commitment, abnegation and denial of one’s own selfishness”.

What is more, “he is the one Redeemer inviting us to his feast of immortal life, but on one and only condition, that of following and imitating him, bearing as He did our own cross and devoting one’s life to one’s brothers. This is the single, universal condition to join the heavenly life.”

Talking about today’s liturgy, the Pope excluded religious practices as a “source of security” and “false merits.”

“On the last day,” Benedict XVI added, “it is not on the basis of alleged privileges that we shall be judged but on the merit of our deeds. The ‘agents of iniquity’ will find themselves excluded whilst those who did good deeds at the cost of sacrifices shall be welcomed. It will not be enough to say that ‘I was a friend” of Christ, and claim false merits like: ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets’ (Lk 13:26). True friendship for Jesus is expressed in how one lives; in the goodness of one’s heart; in one’s humility, kindness and mercy, in one’s love for justice and truth; in one’s sincere commitment to peace and reconciliation. This, we might say, is the ‘identity card’ that qualifies us as true ‘friends;’ it is the ‘passport’ that will let us enter eternal life."