21st SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door
The striking image of the ‘narrow door’ in today’s Gospel conjures up the scene on any given match day at venues around the country as supporters queue to enter the stadium. While great throngs approach the gates, each person enters the turnstile alone, provided the ticket is valid. At the end of life’s journey we enter the ‘narrow door’ alone in order to reach the heavenly kingdom. We don’t hold someone else by the hand. To ensure that our ticket is valid we should prepare for the fateful moment without despair or presumption. Entry to the celestial banquet is neither easy nor automatic. It entails living by the wisdom of the Gospel; listening to the word of God and keeping it. That means taking the road less travelled, but the prize is worth the effort. It is wise to prepare for death then. By doing so we actually clarify our life. The word departure literally means to pull up anchor and set sail. Consequently, everything that happens prior to death is preparation for the final voyage. This parable is a wake-up call, a reminder that our actions have consequences; a forewarning that we can expect to be surprised by the guest list in the Father’s house. There we will discover that those whom the world considered to be the outsiders will be the insiders, and those thought to be the insiders will be the outsiders. Can you think of anything more painful than to arrive at the heavenly stadium, and have to listen to the celebrations within while being forced to remain outside? ‘In the end if we don’t have God we don’t have anything other than an end’. (Fr. Peter Burke)
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