Br. Justin Mpuruta sx
Dear brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel Jesus ensure us that, “People will come from north and south, from east and west, and take their places in the Kingdom.” We are gathering from many different directions and landscapes. But all of these directions have served to bring us to the friendship with God. Then, what is our vision of universal salvation for those who are different? Are we ready to answer to the urgent God’s invitation of repentance to choose the correct way for his Kingdom today? Stripping ourselves requires great perseverance, so how do we take the suffering in our life, punishment or opportunity?
Indeed, to the question of the Jews “Sir, will only a few be saved?” Jesus refuses to get into the numbers game, or to speculate about matters that are best left to the wisdom and mercy of God. The main thing is: the kingdom is present and the door open. But the door is not so wide that we can saunter casually in at our own convenience: it is a narrow opening through which we must thrust ourselves with determination. Besides, the door will not be open indefinitely. Let us imagine how we will feel when we will finally approach Jesus, he tells us: “I do not know where you come from.” The parallel passage in Matthew puts it openly: “I never knew you: depart from Me” (cf. Mt 7:21-23). How disastrous it would be when these words come from God Himself, who has repeatedly said that He knew us before we were even formed in the womb (cf. Jer 5:1), that He knows us by our name (cf. Is 43:1), and that He has written our names in the palm of His hands (cf. Is 49:16)! Could this happen to us, who have celebrated many Eucharists (dining with Christ) have read the Bible regularly in Lectio Divina (listening to him), as Missionaries, Religious, Priests, preached and attended many retreats?
If our words of faith have not become flesh in us, Christ simply does not see his image and likeness in us. To enter through the narrow gate of doing the Will of God ensures that we are counted as his family (cf. Mt 12:50). To pass this narrow gate needs suffering of self-denial. Most of the time, in our tik-tok and internet selfie society, we like the main gate where we can enter solemnly apt to puff ourselves up with a feeling of self-importance and visibility. Then it is not easy to pass by the narrow side gate, overshadow where nobody will notice our presence. We have to humble ourselves and to rid ourselves of anything that is likely to encumber us. We mustn't feel that all we have to do is show up, flash the Christian ID card, or simply tell the gatekeeper that we know the Boss in order to enter. The bottom line is goodness of life, the discretion in our friendship with Jesus. It is not a matter of duty and accomplishments. As Jesus said, “Traffic in good and not in evil."
Let us pray that our sufferings and the one of our brothers and sisters purify indispensable part in our becoming truly human, that is, people of maturity, depth and compassion (not hypocrites and cowards who clam themselves Christians, but evildoers and killers). And may he be known and loved by all people, Our Lord Jesus-Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel Jesus ensure us that, “People will come from north and south, from east and west, and take their places in the Kingdom.” We are gathering from many different directions and landscapes. But all of these directions have served to bring us to the friendship with God. Then, what is our vision of universal salvation for those who are different? Are we ready to answer to the urgent God’s invitation of repentance to choose the correct way for his Kingdom today? Stripping ourselves requires great perseverance, so how do we take the suffering in our life, punishment or opportunity?
Indeed, to the question of the Jews “Sir, will only a few be saved?” Jesus refuses to get into the numbers game, or to speculate about matters that are best left to the wisdom and mercy of God. The main thing is: the kingdom is present and the door open. But the door is not so wide that we can saunter casually in at our own convenience: it is a narrow opening through which we must thrust ourselves with determination. Besides, the door will not be open indefinitely. Let us imagine how we will feel when we will finally approach Jesus, he tells us: “I do not know where you come from.” The parallel passage in Matthew puts it openly: “I never knew you: depart from Me” (cf. Mt 7:21-23). How disastrous it would be when these words come from God Himself, who has repeatedly said that He knew us before we were even formed in the womb (cf. Jer 5:1), that He knows us by our name (cf. Is 43:1), and that He has written our names in the palm of His hands (cf. Is 49:16)! Could this happen to us, who have celebrated many Eucharists (dining with Christ) have read the Bible regularly in Lectio Divina (listening to him), as Missionaries, Religious, Priests, preached and attended many retreats?
If our words of faith have not become flesh in us, Christ simply does not see his image and likeness in us. To enter through the narrow gate of doing the Will of God ensures that we are counted as his family (cf. Mt 12:50). To pass this narrow gate needs suffering of self-denial. Most of the time, in our tik-tok and internet selfie society, we like the main gate where we can enter solemnly apt to puff ourselves up with a feeling of self-importance and visibility. Then it is not easy to pass by the narrow side gate, overshadow where nobody will notice our presence. We have to humble ourselves and to rid ourselves of anything that is likely to encumber us. We mustn't feel that all we have to do is show up, flash the Christian ID card, or simply tell the gatekeeper that we know the Boss in order to enter. The bottom line is goodness of life, the discretion in our friendship with Jesus. It is not a matter of duty and accomplishments. As Jesus said, “Traffic in good and not in evil."
Let us pray that our sufferings and the one of our brothers and sisters purify indispensable part in our becoming truly human, that is, people of maturity, depth and compassion (not hypocrites and cowards who clam themselves Christians, but evildoers and killers). And may he be known and loved by all people, Our Lord Jesus-Christ.