Deacon Tom Anthony

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 123

Reading 1 Is 66:18-21

Thus says the LORD:
I know their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
I will set a sign among them;
from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan,
to the distant coastlands
that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations
as an offering to the LORD,
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD,
just as the Israelites bring their offering
to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 117:1, 2

R.(Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Heb 12:5-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters,
You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:
"My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges."
Endure your trials as "discipline";
God treats you as sons.
For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

Alleluia Jn 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father, except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

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?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."

My Brothers and Sisters,

 The Christian Message as given by Jesus Christ is inclusive and not exclusive. All are invited to partake in what Jesus Christ has to offer with no preconditions or requirements. The universe and all that it holds was created by God and Jesus Christ came to invite all who are part of His creation to come forward and experience a relationship with God. It is through Jesus Christ that we are then transformed into a more perfect creation by engaging in a relationship with Him. As in all relationship there is a commitment that comes with it. As Jesus indicated the more that we know the more will be expected of us. The beginning of our relationship with Him can be described as us responding to His love for us. This is what the invitation ultimately is: a response to the love that God has for us. When we are open to it and love God in return we are then encouraged to explore that love and challenge ourselves to understand it deeper. This is how we obtain wisdom from the experience and learn more about God. Through that wisdom and the presence of the Holy Spirit we will then see, feel, and understand things differently. Every moment of our conscious will take on a different meaning because things are now being done with God instead of apart from Him. It is then that we are expected to take on more responsibility for ourselves and continue that relationship with Him. After things are revealed to us then there can be no more excuses for something that is left undone or something that is done incorrectly. To know better means to conduct ones’ self better.

Jesus encouraged his disciples to “Strive to enter the narrow gate.” This statement indicates that there will be opposition to what we say and do. There will be those with us and those against us when we are living our lives with Jesus Christ. The ones who stand in opposition have defined themselves by being in relationship with the physical world and worldly desires. Directed by the influence of Satan, there is an automatic negative reaction to all that is good and all that is proclaimed my Jesus. These forces offer a steady resistance to the good that pours forth in reaction to the presence of God. There is hostility and outright defiance to what is being offered. Jesus is the life-giving water that is flooding into the world while the ones who oppose are the ones who are fruitlessly trying to build a dam so as to fight back the rising tide of salvation. They are the ones who want things to be as they are: broken and defected. In their brokenness they are lost, feeling that they are content and happy with their present situation even though what they perceive as happiness is fleeting and empty; reliant on things that soon will not be in existence while God is forever. This in itself makes those who oppose even angrier that their time is limited while a relationship with God, who they are against so vehemently, is forever.

The ones who Jesus mentions as not being strong enough are the ones who gave in to the temptations of the world while knowing better. He is not angry at them but loves them as we are loved. Each person is given every opportunity to come to Him and return to Him when they have fallen away. As He said, “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” He wants salvation for everyone and offers it for the taking. Ultimately He is saying that those who choose not to accept it will regret it and be furious as a result, hating Him more than they did before. This expression of hatred is what is exposed when all else that was hiding it is taken away. There is no place for hatred in a loving relationship with God. Hate is a divider while God’s love is a uniting force that has all of the best intentions. Hatred has none of that and that is why it is a defining characteristic of those who choose the material world above God.

Part of being broken and in need of God’s healing is the way we experience conflict and opposition. God wants us to look at these moments in a different way. We are reminded in the Scripture Readings today that it is better to look at these moments through the understanding that we are indeed God’s children and through that relationship there will be times where we will encounter difficulties and crisis that we might blame on God. Instead of blaming God we should focus on having the faith that He is with us and, because ultimately these things will be overcome with His help, that everything experienced makes us stronger. In the process we also obtain a deeper wisdom which then can be used to benefit all of those whom we know. In the end everything is better with God and everything works out.

Jesus Christ is the Good News. A relationship with Him brings us into direct contact with God and His love. The process of loving God is as important as loving Him. This process is filled with pitfalls, conflict, and opposition all brought about by us and not Him. Jesus Christ is with us the entire time to offer us wisdom, safety, security, and joy throughout it. The process of loving becomes a journey for the betterment of us. Each step in the right direction opens up more experiences that a life without Him pales in comparison

Deacon Tom.