The gospel reading (Lk. 13,22-30) for this Sunday is challenging. It is meant to expand our hearts and the breath of our loving for our fellow human beings.
Jesus was dealing with a religious / political mentality that saw the religious rule keepers as being much more important than the multitude of peasants (who were illiterate) who were not very good at the ‘rule keeping.’ This is a story of those who are ‘in’ and those who are ‘out.’
The image of the narrow door may be difficult for many people. There are people who will come a knocking, claiming to have eaten and drunk with Jesus. They claim to know him. But he will say, ‘go away!’ What is happening here.
In the society of Jesus, the doors to houses did not have hinges. The door would have been narrower than the doors we have in our houses. The door was strong (so it could not be busted into) and had to bolted shut every evening. It was quite a process to open the door in the morning and move it into closing position in the evening.
It is not good enough to know the teachings of Jesus and to even have walked with him. Entering the narrow door means living and loving human beings the way Jesus loves human beings. To walk through the door Jesus was talking about is entering into his love and compassion for his fellow human beings. You do not get through the door just because you have kept all the religious rules.
Enter through the narrow door by reaching out to your elder sister who is suffering dementia and seems so lost in her own home. Never fret over any conversation you might want to have with her (this would be working on your own agenda), but gently share with her some of the memories. The narrow door is your sharing human kindness with your own sister. There may be long periods of silence but your presence and the warm feeling of your hands is making the love of God tangible.
At work, you have a newly arrived refugee from the Ukraine. Enter the narrow door by helping her learn English. Try to place yourself in her shoes when she does not have the words to share her life and experiences with you. Your patience in teaching her the English language is entering through the narrow door. It does not matter that she might move to another job in another location in the future. Today, you are reaching out to her in this new country.
Your sister is going through a very rough time. Her son is out on the West Coast. She knows that he is a recreation drug user. This is so dangerous. She worries and frets that he might overdose on the drugs and she will lose her only son. Family life is very tense these days. You pick up the phone call to be a sympathetic voice. Your patience in listening and caring is walking through the narrow door.
Not everyone who feels that they will be saved will make it. We all have to do our part and respond to the life and mission of Jesus. Words are never enough.
How are you entering through the narrow door?
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