Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Redemption is available to everyone who seeks it in the name of Christ and through Him, not because of merit, but because of grace and mercy.

Gospel according to Luke 13:22-30

Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” Jesus said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.” “When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But the Lord will say, “I do not know where you come from; go away from me all you evil doers!’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Mont Saint-Michel, 2015 - Photo by Agustin Rafael Reyes on Flickr - Normandy, France

Reflections

[Catholic Prayer Space Ottawa wishes to thank Rev. Dr. Paul Ungar, MD, PhD, Deacon of the Roman Catholic Church, for his written contribution which helped to formulate today’s Gospel Reflections].

In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus on the road, continuing to advance toward Jerusalem, the city in which his death and resurrection will take place—the place where His earthy mission reaches fulfillment, and the location of His future second coming in glory. There is a group of people walking with Him, and they are posing questions. One question in particular, attracts the attention of His companions, and is passed down to Saint Matthew, (Matthew 8:12; 13:42) and Luke the Evangelist, who record it in writing: “Lord, will only a few be saved?” (Luke 13:23). This question may have been motivated by curiosity, or concern about how and what to do to belong to that group who will inherit eternal life. (1) 

Jesus uses suggestive imagery to answer this question: “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). The narrow doorway in this example refers to Jesus himself and the values He represents. Living a life of self-serving greed and control will not get people through a narrow door. Neither will claim, demands, or commands obtain this desired end. Jesus illustrates this with a vivid description of those who will be denied and thrown out, despite their success and puffed-up self-assurance, and those who will come “…from east, west, north, and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:29) He concludes the parable with the observation: “Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:30). 

An immediate association we could form with this image of the last being first, and the first being last is that of the “Tortoise and the Hare,” two characters in Aesop’s classic fable (3). In this fable, the fast and boastful hare challenges the slow but determined tortoise for a race. The hare has an early lead but stops to sleep, believing the tortoise to be slow to catch up. In the meanwhile, the tortoise continues to walk with slow but steady steps. He eventually wins the race. The morale of the story is that a strong work ethic and persistence can lead to victory even against a seemingly superior opponent. But would this interpretation explain what Jesus meant when he said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door?” Hardly. There must be a much more complex and layered interpretation that we are looking for, because Jesus’ parables always go beyond traditional folk wisdom to illuminating a spiritual truth about the kingdom of God. The parables are not fables, secret codes, allegories, or vehicles to spectacles. (4) They are meant to illustrate, from a variety of angles, the saving glory of Jesus Christ, his Lordship, and the mystery of God’s plan of redemption. (4)

Today’s parable touches on the core of the Christian message: “Jesus’ death is both the Paschal sacrifice accomplishing the definitive redemption of all humanity and the sacrifice of the New Covenant that reconciles humanity to God through the “’blood of the covenant’ poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (5) In other words, redemption is available to everyone who seeks it in the name of Christ and through Him, not because of merit, but because of grace and mercy; “…Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Though we always remain unworthy of eternal life because of our own merits and worthiness, it is possible to enter the door of salvation through God’s unconditional love, shown through Chrit’s atonement, which makes it possible to be “freely declared righteous by Him.” This is the first answer to the question as to whether only a few will be saved: Grace is extended to everyone. 

Jesus specifies the answer further: Only through Him is it possible to obtain this grace. Which means, only those who live a virtuous life in the imitation of Christ in humility and mercy will be judged righteous in the eyes of God. In the book, Imitation of Christ, Thomas Kempis (1380-1471), expresses this truth with a simple message: “Look away from our self-sufficiency to God who is all sufficient, then to look back with transformed vision to a world in need where service replaces self-seeking. God becomes central in our lives as we systematically bring ourselves into line with his sovereign control.” (6) This will involve self-denial, honesty with ourselves, determination to change and hard work to mold ourselves according to Christ’s example. (6) --Jesus clarifies that to follow Him requires our attention, effort, and willingness.    

Perhaps, there is no more important question for every Christian than, “Lord, will I be among these who may hope entering through the narrow door into your kingdom?” 

There is an anecdotal story which may help us to illustrate how we should strive to advance toward “the narrow door:” In a family, there was a custom that the child perceived as the worthiest by his father would receive a golden ring. So, the ring traveled through space and time, from one generation to the next. However, one father had many children, and could not decide who was the worthiest amongst them. Thus, he went to a goldsmith and ordered a few more rings, so that all his children inherited a ring. After the father’s death, the children realized that all of them received a ring. Moreover, the rings appeared identical. Thus, they started to fight among themselves, discussing whose ring was the original. Since rings seemed entirely identical, they could not resolve their quarrel. They took the ring to a goldsmith and inquired: “Which ring is the original?” However, not even the goldsmith could answer their questions. The siblings then took the rings to a wise man, insisting on the same question. The wise man studied the rings for a long time and finally responded: “From a human perspective, it is impossible to answer the question. However, it is possible to know that the original ring is possessed by the sibling who by his or her unselfishness, honesty, love, and modesty, proves that he or she is Christlike.” (6)

Not pure formality, enacting discipleship, and even less hypocrisy leads toward salvation. The threshold of the narrow door can be crossed only who by someone who through unselfishness, love, forgiveness, empathy, in other words genuine love of God and neighbors demonstrates belonging the body of Christ. (7) The essence of our faith is the hope of entering through the narrow door by counting on Jesus’ love, justice and mercy. No one always succeeds in behaving like Christ, nevertheless we may hope that Jesus appreciates not only our success but also our serious and sincere efforts in entering through the narrow door. We may remain hopeful, faithful, and courageously trusting despite being among the last in attaining world power. (7) 

As God’s beloved children, we may be among these entering through the narrow door into everlasting life with Jesus. Let us keep traveling with Him on the road to Jerusalem—the Heavenly city.  

References

  1. McKinnon, J. (2025). Luke Gospel Commentary. Retrieved from: www.johnmckinnon.org Accessed: August 22, 2025.
  2. Aesop’s Fable; retold by Mark Schlichting (1993). The tortoise and the hare. Novato, CA: Living Books, A Random House/Broderbund Company.
  3. Wilson. J. (2018). How Not to Read the Parables. Retrieved from: https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/how-not-to-read-the-parables/ Accessed: August 22, 2025.
  4. Catechism of the Catholic Church (2025). Article 613. Retrieved from: https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/catechism/#!/search/613-614. Accessed: August 22, 2025.
  5. Elwell, W. A. (2005). The Imitation of Christ. C. S. Lewis Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-imitation-of-christ-2/ Accessed: August 22, 2025.
  6. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1779). Nathan der Weise, (Nathan the Wise) Act III, vii. Translated by C. S. Lewis, Penguin Classics, 2010.
  7. Ungar, P. (2025). Personal Conversation on the interpretation of Luke 13:22-30. August 20, 2025.