Reflection for August 21, 2022

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

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

​Today’s readings really mesh well together. In the first reading invites us to accept God’s training towards inclusivity and acceptance of “others” especially the socially excluded in our midst. The second reading uses an analogy of a parent disciplining a child as a means of allowing the child to grow. Finally, the Gospel talks about the narrow gate into the kingdom and the urgency to get through it now.

On January 1, 1993, Jaime Sin, former Cardinal Arcbishop of Manila, was visited by Sri Chinmoy, an Indian spiritual leader at EDSA Shrine. The "good Sin" jokingly confided to the humble guru, "This is the place to pray and worship, but people come to me only with their complaints." Then, the cardinal archbishop recollected, "We had a meeting in Japan and the one who represented the Hindu religion was the nephew of Mahatma Gandhi. And there was someone from the Muslim faith – the Executive General Secretary, who is living in Sri Lanka. The Dalai Lama was also there. We were talking about peace. In our talks there were no differences. Sri Chinmoy replied, "All roads lead to God's House. That is our destination. Although we may live in different houses, because we were born into different religions, our destination is the same." Cardinal Sin continued, "I said, 'We are all saying the same thing. Only your terminology is different.' They said, 'Yes, there is nothing different. We will all go to Heaven because we are all seeking peace.'" Sri Chinmoy replied, "Peace-dreamers, peace-lovers and peace-promoters are all in the same boat. So we are all in the same boat." To which Cardinal Sin replied, "'Blessed are the peace-makers because they will see the Face of God.' It is one of the Beatitudes. May God bless you and please bless me!"

God desires to bring all people – of every race, language and status – together into one human family in bonds of love and compassion. The first reading is an excerpt from the third part of the Book of Isaiah. It envisions a time when all nations will share in God’s kingdom and have access to God’s saving grace. “Thus says the Lord ... I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.” The text alludes to a future when The Temple of God will be a house of prayer not just for Jews, but for all people. Israelites and Gentiles will form one community, and all will participate in one worship of God. Today, we experience so much unpeace probably because we have completely forgotten that we are all children of God and that we belong to each other.

In a rather traditional sheep-fold near Ancient Israel, a young boy asked his shepherd father, "Abba, What happened? Why are you carrying the lamb on your shoulders? Did the sheep fall off of a mountain?" The shepherd father replied, “I broke its leg.” “Why did you break its leg? Are you a cruel shepherd?” The boy asked. He said, “No, I broke the sheep’s leg to save the it's life. I love the sheep. But the sheep got to running away from me. And he kept straying out to itself. And I know the nature of sheep. And I know if they stray too far away, the wolf will get them. So I had to break the sheep’s leg to keep it close to me so it remembers my voice, to feed it by hand so it recognizes my scent. And I’ll be so kind to it, that when its leg gets well, it’ll never leave me any more.”

Do you tend to think of hardships as blessings or curses? When trials come are you inclined to doubt God’s love for you? In the Second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, the author places persecution in a category of discipline from the Lord. He stresses the importance of discipline and obedience in the formation of God’s people. A wayward sheep is a sheep that wanders from the flock into danger. Often this is a repeated behavior, not a onetime occurrence. If  sheep is wandering away from the flock and away from the care of the shepherd it is headed to a place that could be dangerous and hurtful. The rod and the staff are used to keep them close and safe but sometimes that is not enough. At times the sheep chooses to wander away from the safety and security to a place that is outside the boundaries that will protect them. A shepherd who is gracious might break a sheep’s leg to save the sheep’s life. He will then bind up the broken leg, carry the sheep upon his shoulders and hand feed the sheep. In this way the sheep learns dependence and trust in the shepherd, learns to respond to his voice and develop a relationship that was not being built when when the sheep was wandering. By the time the leg has healed the lamb has learned to stay near the shepherd. Some might regard the shepherd’s actions in bringing suffering into the sheep’s life as cruel. But the shepherd’s "striking and healing" in fact will bring the sheep to "return and listen" (cf. Isaiah 19:22). The reality is that the shepherd is good. The shepherd brings suffering into the sheep’s life in order to preserve the it's life. We are all lost sheep who have been found by our good shepherd. We all have been swept up onto his strong shoulders. God's discipline is not punishment. Nor is His discipline motivated by a desire to inflict pain. Nor is God's discipline from anger. Rather, God's discipline comes from His great love for us. The author of Hebrews teaches," For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child (Hebrews 12:6). Sometimes the medicine must taste bad, but that doesn't change the fact that the physician's motive is mercy. While discipline is sometimes painful, God's purpose in disciplining us is for our own good, our holiness. The ultimate good for a Catholic Christian is to be sanctified, which is to be conformed to the image and likeness of Christ. We can expect that there will be times when Jesus, our Good Shepherd, will do the same to us. And we, as shepherds of our children, will need to use discipline to teach them not to stray. Have you experienced a time where it felt like you may have been disciplined in such a way to keep you at the Shepherd’s side so you could be trained, loved on, and restored? God disciplines every one of His children. His motive is love. His practice is perfect. His purpose is our sanctification. His end is His glory. May we learn not to despise His discipline, but to be encouraged by it. 

John, a workforce manager in a contact center found that production was being hampered by the tardiness of associates returning from the lunch hour. When the bell rang few were at their work stations. He posted a sign by the suggestion box offering a cash award for the best answer to this question: "What should we do to ensure that every associate will be inside the production floor when the bell rings?" Many suggestions were submitted, and the one that was selected solved the problem. But John, a man with a sense of humor, liked this one best, though he could not use it: "Let the last asspciate in ring the bell". 

In the Gospel, Jesus is enroute to Jerusalem from Galilee in the north to Judea in the South of the Holy Land. Many of us have encountered zealous young people who run up to us and, with an in-your-face question, demand to know, “Have you been saved?” Jesus endures a similar question in our gospel. He Jesus responds to a question posed by someone in the crowds who followed him. They wanted to know, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” In response, Jesus urges his disciples to enter through the narrow gate. And as he concludes his teaching, Jesus simply says, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Here, he gives caution to Christians who might think themselves secure, as in “been saved.”  Our Lord admonishes against any feeling of entitlement to the kingdom. In fact, he contrasts those who feel they have a right to God’s kingdom, and those who actually enter the kingdom. God’s gift of salvation is free but not cheap. In this passage Jesus emphasizes that while salvation is gift of God, human response through obedience to God is required. Finally, he speaks of the urgency to accept God’s invitation now since the narrow door will not remain indefinitely open. The door to God stands open for all who wish to go through it. Jesus himself is that door He himself is the way to heaven. By receiving him and turning away from our selfish lives, we can have eternal life. This is no casual entry, whenever we're ready. Our school teachers say to us, "We have to be on time!" That's the sense here. We cannot fail to get to this appointment in time. It is urgent! It is pressing! It is critical! The door is narrow and we can squeeze through only if we start now.  There is no better time to seek God’s salvation than now. <enrique,ofs>