ARE YOU SAVED?

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-21 Ħadd matul is-Sena   -  Sena 'Ċ'

Messalin 'C' pp 372

 

Reading 1   -   Isaiah 66:18-21

Thus says the LORD: I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.  I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;  and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.  Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari   -   Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 66, 18-21

Dan igħid il-Mulej: Għad niġi niġbor il-ġnus kollha, u l-popli ta’ kull ilsien; dawn jiġu u jaraw is-sebħ tiegħi. Jiena ngħolli għalihom sinjal, u nibgħat lil xi wħud mill-fdal ta’ Israel  ġħand il-ġnus, f’Tarsis, Put, Lud u Mesek, Ros, Tubal u Ġawan, u lejn ix-xtut imbiegħda li qatt ma semgħu bija, u qatt ma raw is-sebħ tiegħi, u huma jxandru  s-sebħ tiegħi qalb il-ġnus. U jġibu lil ħutkom kollha minn kull ġens,bħala offerta lill-Mulej; iġubhom fuq żwiemel u karrijiet, fuq suġġetti u bgħula u iġmla, għal fuq il-muntanja qaddisa tiegħi, ’Ġerusalem,  jgħid il-Mulej:  bħalma wlied  Israel  iġibu l-offerti tal-qmuħ tagħhom f’ ġarar indaf fit-Tempju tal-Mulej. U lil xi wħud minnhom neħodhom b’qassisin u leviti, igħid il-Mulej. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm       -       PSALM 117:1, 2

R. (Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples                                          R/

For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.            R/

Salm Responsorjali  -   Salm  116

            R/  Morru fid-dinja kollha, xandru l-Evanġelju

Faħħru  l-Mulej, intom ġnus kollha,

sebbħuh, intom  popli kollha.                          R/

Għax kbira hi it-tjieba tiegħu magħna,

il-fedelta’ tal-Mulej tibqa' għal dejjem               R/

Reading 2       -   Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters, You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children: “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.” Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons.  For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.  So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari    -  mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 12, 5-7.11-13

Ħuti, insejtuha għalkollox il-kelma ta’ twissija li qalilkom  ta' wlied li intom: “Ibni, la twarrabx it-twiddib tal-Mulej, u la taqtax qalbek meta jċanfrek; għax il-Mulej iwiddeb ‘il min iħobb, jolqot lil kull min jilqa’ b’ibnu.” Hu għall-edukazzjoni tagħkom li intom qegħdin tbatu! Alla qiegħed jimxi magħkom ta’ wlied. Min hu dak l-iben li missieru ma jwiddbux? Tassew li bħalissa kull twiddiba ma tferraħniex,  Imma  tnikkitna;  iżda mbagħad,  lil dawk li jkunu tħarrġu biha, hija  troddilhom il-frott ta’ ħajja mimlija  bis-sliem u l-ġustizzja.    Mela erfgħu l-idejn merħija u  l-irkobbtejn mitluqa tagħkom,  biex min hu zopp, ma  joħroġx mit-triq, imma  jerġa’ jieħu saħħtu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel        -      Luke 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”  He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.  Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.  For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -   Qari skont’  San Luqa 13, 22-30

F’dak iż-żmien,  huwa u sejjer lejn Ġerusalemm, Ġesu’ għadda jgħallem f’xi bliet u rħula. U kien hemm wieħed qallu:  “Mulej, jaqaw ftit huma dawk li jsalvaw?” U  huwa weġibhom:  “Tħabtu biex tidħlu mill-bieb id-dejjaq, għax kif ngħidilkom jien, ħafna  għad ifittxu li jidħlu u ma jirnexxilhomx.  Għax  meta sid id-dar ikun qam jagħlaq il-bieb, intom  tibqgħu barra, u tibdew tħabbtu l-bieb u tgħidu,    "Mulej, iftħilna!"  Iżda hu jweġibkom u jgħid, “Ma nafx minn intom."   Imbagħad taqbdu tgħidulu, "Kilna  u xrobna niegħek aħna, u int għallimt fil-pjazez tagħna."Hu  jwieġeb u jgħidilkom, "Ma nafx mnejn intom; morru  minn quddiemi,  intom ilkoll li tagħmlu dak li mhux sewwa!’   Hemmhekk ikun hemm il-biki u t-tgħażżiż tas-snien, meta taraw lil Abraham u lil Iżakk u ‘l Ġakobb u l-profeti kollha fis-Saltna ta’ Alla, u intom imkeċċija ‘l barra.  U jiġu nies mill-Lvant u mill-Punent, mit-Tramuntana u n- Nofsinhar, u  joqogħdu għall-mejda fis-Saltna ta’ Alla.  U araw, hawn min hu ta’ l-aħħar u għad ikun l-ewwel, u hawn min hu tal-ewwel u għad ikun l-aħħar. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Commentary by Fr Thomas Rosica

The Door of Opportunity Will Not Remain Forever Open

Though next Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 13:22-30) may well be a loose collection of sayings of Jesus, uttered in several different contexts but brought together here under the general heading of “who will be saved,” the overall tone of Jesus’ meaning is clear: The good news is offered “whole and entire” and must be accepted in the same way.

Jesus words follow upon the parables of the kingdom (Luke 13:18-21) and stress that great effort is required for entrance into the kingdom (13:24) and that there is an urgency to accept the present opportunity to enter because the narrow door will not remain open indefinitely (13:25).

Behind the sayings is the rejection of Jesus and his message by his Jewish contemporaries (13:26) whose places at table in the kingdom will be taken by Gentiles from the four corners of the world (13:29). Those called last (the Gentiles) will precede those to whom the invitation to enter was first extended (the Jews).

Lord, who will be saved?

The question to Jesus really is: “Will only a few be saved?” Jesus answers by saying that the initiation is open but the way into the kingdom is narrow and demands more than casual interest. In fact, the “door of opportunity” will not remain forever open. God’s purpose moves toward the eschaton, and when the door is closed, it is closed.

This door will certainly not be reopened for persons whose only claim is that Jesus once visited their towns and villages or preached in their streets or that they once saw Jesus and a crowd or encountered members of his family. Such appeals are not only futile but also self-incriminating because their opportunities carried obligations.

Added to the pain of sitting before a closed door will be the sight of large numbers who are admitted, not only the expected ones among Israel’s ancient faithful but also the unexpected Gentiles who heard and believed. It provides Israel and us opportunity to assess where we stand in relation to the Kingdom of God.

What does it mean to be saved?

To be saved as Christians, we must acknowledge Jesus now as master. From Sunday’s Gospel we learn that Jesus may not recognize everyone who bears the name “Christian,” but he will recognize immediately all those whose lives bear the stamp of “Christian.” Each of us must re-think whatever notions we have of the kingdom of God, of who will be saved. Those we think least likely to enter may be the first to do so, and vice-versa.

Salvation is a life-long journey and along the way we are found and chosen by God. On the journey we become friends with God and with one another, and enter more deeply into the holy mystery of God. Furthermore, the whole transformative journey is made in love.

Are you saved?

Has anyone ever asked you if you have been saved? Several years ago, I was walking in downtown Toronto to an evening event, dressed in my clerical suit and engrossed in thought when a small group of street people met me and struck up a conversation. “Hey, Reverend, have you been saved?” It was the last thing I needed to hear that evening! I told them that I wasn’t able to answer their question. My mind was on the talk I was to deliver later that evening to Catholic business leaders at a dinner function. One of them replied: “You Catholics aren’t saved, and you don’t know what it means!”

That whole encounter got me thinking. Such questions about being saved are never put to me in theological faculties or Church meetings. I am often asked if I have been saved at downtown street corners, or at the entrance to a large shopping mall in downtown Toronto. I say to myself: “Are they not simply poorly educated, unsophisticated street folks, or fundamentalists who rudely break into my quiet space with their impertinent questions?”

Nevertheless their question is one that must be dealt with, especially for us Catholics who aren’t often versed in the biblical language of salvation and who are not used to providing an answer to such an essential question. The next time we are asked if we have been saved, we might do well to ponder the idea a bit, and we may be pleasantly surprised at the results of our reflections.

The architect of the Christian faith

Next Sunday’s second reading is also worth remembering.  It is from the letter to the Hebrews (12:5-7, 11-13). Here Paul comments that Christian life is to be inspired not only by the Old Testament men and women of faith (12:1), but above all by Jesus. As the architect of Christian faith, he had himself to endure the cross before receiving the glory of his triumph (12:2).

Reflecting on his sufferings should give us courage to continue the struggle, if necessary even to the shedding of blood (12:3-4). Christians should regard their own sufferings as the affectionate correction of the Lord, who loves them as a father loves his children.