Isaiah 66:18-21
Psalms 117:1, 2
Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Luke 13:22-30
The readings for this 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time appear to emphasize God’s salvation is open to everyone, but does require a committed, diligent response from each individual. I feel the readings challenge us as believers to take seriously the importance of seeking the Kingdom of God and not assume their place is guaranteed. There comes the idea “once saved, always saved,” held by some Protestants, which extends from the idea of “faith alone.”
In the first reading, Isaiah foretells the gathering of all nations to Jerusalem to witness God’s glory. This passage brings forth the idea of a great message where people of different languages will be brought before God. This reading refers to the “catholic,” or universal nature of the Church, which was the original intent for all people, even Jews and Gentiles alike.
In the dictionary, catholic means universal.
The idea of “faith alone” or “once saved, always saved,” according to Catholic Apologist Jimmy Aiken, is not accepted by the Catholic Church:
St. Paul explicitly warns Judaizing Christians, “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the Law; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). He also tells his audience of Corinthian Christians, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived,” and he goes on to list multiple sins, warning that those who commit them will not “inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).
In Catholicism, it is possible to regain salvation, if one “loses it.” One can only lose salvation if a person commits a mortal sin, like murder or adultery. To regain this gift of salvation is to confess your sins. Jesus gave us the sacrament of Reconciliation when he said, “‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:21-23, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).
We confess our sins to be reconciled with God through the Church, thereby restoring the grace that has been given us with the whole body of Christ, the Church. This can be seen in the parable of the Prodigal Son, as Aiken notes:
This is the point of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). In this parable, the father of the family represents God, and one of his sons leaves the family and embarks on a life of sin. Yet he repents and is welcomed back by the father, who declares that the son “was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (v. 32). It thus is possible for us to be children of the Father, to leave him for sin and become spiritually dead, and to return and be restored to spiritual life.
Isaiah tells us today God knows “their works and their thoughts,” (Isaiah 66:18, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition), and he is going to gather “all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory,” (Isaiah 66:18, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).
Once God sent his son Jesus, Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses and became the redeemer of the sins of the world through his sacrifice on the cross. Thus, allowing us to repent and confess our sins to be forgiven and receive fully the sanctifying grace God bestowed upon us.
Before moving on to the second reading and the gospel, I just want to make a quick note about the Psalm for today. It is a short one. Yet, it is still a powerful one to offer up praise to God, everyone, as it says in the first verse, “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!” (Psalm 117:1, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).
The second reading comes to us today from the Book of Hebrews. The passage encourages us believers to persevere through the trials of life by understanding them as loving discipline from God. The reading for today begins, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:5-6, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2 Catholic Edition).
Just as a father disciplines his child out of love, God uses trials to train us in righteousness. This divine discipline is a sign that we are truly acknowledged as his children. The reading goes on to suggest we must be disciplined to endure to the end. The focus is on steady, persistent effort, to continue through the righteous path through life.
If you remember from last week’s gospel, living the Christian life can be difficult. Jesus said he was bringing division to people. Living Jesus’ life was full of trials and tribulations, ultimately ending on the Cross. Others, even your own family at times, will not always believe you or want to hear what you have to say about the Kingdom of God, just as there were those in Jesus’ time who did not believe.
In today’s gospel, Jesus warns against complacency and challenges his listeners to strive for salvation, which, of course, is not a given as we learned earlier. Jesus talks about a narrow door in the gospel. What is he talking about? A narrow door? When someone asks him if only a few will be saved, Jesus says this, “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luke 13:24, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition). This signifies that salvation is not a passive inheritance, but requires intentional effort by continuing good works to receive the sanctifying grace God wants to bestow on us.
And therefore, when Jesus says, “And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last,” (Luke 13:30, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition), it refers to a continuation of the theme from Isaiah. Many who were once “first” in receiving God’s covenant (the Jews) may be surpassed by those considered “last” (the Gentiles) in entering the kingdom. This further illustrates that salvation is a matter of personal commitment, not ethnic or religious identity.
So in all, God’s plan of salvation is intended to be universal for all people from all walks of life. We as believers must continue good works and strive with personal effort, discipline, and commitment to achieve grace and salvation. And, we cannot falter when times are tough. Persevere through trials and tribulations and have a strong relationship with God to make it through the narrow door.
es require a committed, diligent response from each individual. I feel the readings challenge us as believers to take seriously the importance of seeking the Kingdom of God and not assume their place is guaranteed. There comes the idea “once saved, always saved,” held by some Protestants, which extends from the idea of “faith alone.”
In the first reading, Isaiah foretells the gathering of all nations to Jerusalem to witness God’s glory. This passage brings forth the idea of a great message where people of different languages will be brought before God. This reading refers to the “catholic,” or universal nature of the Church, which was the original intent for all people, even Jews and Gentiles alike.
In the dictionary, catholic means universal.
The idea of “faith alone” or “once saved, always saved,” according to Catholic Apologist Jimmy Aiken, is not accepted by the Catholic Church:
St. Paul explicitly warns Judaizing Christians, “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the Law; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). He also tells his audience of Corinthian Christians, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived,” and he goes on to list multiple sins, warning that those who commit them will not “inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).
In Catholicism, it is possible to regain salvation, if one “loses it.” One can only lose salvation if a person commits a mortal sin, like murder or adultery. To regain this gift of salvation is to confess your sins. Jesus gave us the sacrament of Reconciliation when he said, “‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:21-23, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).
We confess our sins to be reconciled with God through the Church, thereby restoring the grace that has been given us with the whole body of Christ, the Church. This can be seen in the parable of the Prodigal Son, as Aiken notes:
This is the point of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). In this parable, the father of the family represents God, and one of his sons leaves the family and embarks on a life of sin. Yet he repents and is welcomed back by the father, who declares that the son “was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (v. 32). It thus is possible for us to be children of the Father, to leave him for sin and become spiritually dead, and to return and be restored to spiritual life.
Isaiah tells us today God knows “their works and their thoughts,” (Isaiah 66:18, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition), and he is going to gather “all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory,” (Isaiah 66:18, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).
Once God sent his son Jesus, Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses and became the redeemer of the sins of the world through his sacrifice on the cross. Thus, allowing us to repent and confess our sins to be forgiven and receive fully the sanctifying grace God bestowed upon us.
Before moving on to the second reading and the gospel, I just want to make a quick note about the Psalm for today. It is a short one. Yet, it is still a powerful one to offer up praise to God, everyone, as it says in the first verse, “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!” (Psalm 117:1, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).
The second reading comes to us today from the Book of Hebrews. The passage encourages us believers to persevere through the trials of life by understanding them as loving discipline from God. The reading for today begins, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:5-6, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2 Catholic Edition).
Just as a father disciplines his child out of love, God uses trials to train us in righteousness. This divine discipline is a sign that we are truly acknowledged as his children. The reading goes on to suggest we must be disciplined to endure to the end. The focus is on steady, persistent effort, to continue through the righteous path through life.
If you remember from last week’s gospel, living the Christian life can be difficult. Jesus said he was bringing division to people. Living Jesus’ life was full of trials and tribulations, ultimately ending on the Cross. Others, even your own family at times, will not always believe you or want to hear what you have to say about the Kingdom of God, just as there were those in Jesus’ time who did not believe.
In today’s gospel, Jesus warns against complacency and challenges his listeners to strive for salvation, which, of course, is not a given as we learned earlier. Jesus talks about a narrow door in the gospel. What is he talking about? A narrow door? When someone asks him if only a few will be saved, Jesus says this, “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luke 13:24, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition). This signifies that salvation is not a passive inheritance, but requires intentional effort by continuing good works to receive the sanctifying grace God wants to bestow on us.
And therefore, when Jesus says, “And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last,” (Luke 13:30, The Great Adventure Bible, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition), it refers to a continuation of the theme from Isaiah. Many who were once “first” in receiving God’s covenant (the Jews) may be surpassed by those considered “last” (the Gentiles) in entering the kingdom. This further illustrates that salvation is a matter of personal commitment, not ethnic or religious identity.
So in all, God’s plan of salvation is intended to be universal for all people from all walks of life. We as believers must continue good works and strive with personal effort, discipline, and commitment to achieve grace and salvation. And, we cannot falter when times are tough. Persevere through trials and tribulations and have a strong relationship with God to make it through the narrow door.
A Writer's Voice 