August 22, 2010 21st Ordinary Sunday Is. 66:18-21; Heb. 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk. 13:22-30 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/nab/082210.shtml   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Today’s gospel sets forth four truths concerning the kingdom: the door is narrow, the time is short, there is no favouritism, and kingdom-values overturn the judgements of earth.   The door is narrow: The question about the number of the saved may have been asked in compassion. People then as now debated the number of the elect. Jesus spoke sternly: men may peer into God’s future, but they cannot see; it is a spacious land of banqueting halls and shaded gardens, but the entrance gate is narrow; a man may not enter except by the struggle of self-denial. It is discipline that leads life to heaven, as the pruning of plant gives a lovelier bloom.   The time is short: When each day ends, the opportunity of that day is gone. When each experience of joy or sorrow passes into the next, its truth, heeded or unheeded, writes finis. A thousand times God’s bell tolls and ceases, and we answer the summons or disobey.   No favouritism: God had chosen the Jews to make known to the world the good tidings of his nature and will. But they could think of it selfishly as a favour rather than as a mission. Over and again Jesus took sharp issue with them on that score, and tells them, “God is able of to raise up children unto Abraham from these stones.”   Reversal of earth’s judgements: The reversal of the values is clear when Jesus tells, “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” The 'First-last, Last-first' doctrine is an eternal rewards concept for believers only based on the relative eternal value of serving oneself in this temporal life vs. serving God. This is not to say that the lowest in position in this life will automatically be in the highest position in the eternal kingdom. It has to do with being a servant of God and not oneself or others in whatever secular position one is placed in. The issue is no matter what position one is in, in this life - which is all due to the sovereignty of God anyway - how faithfully you have served God in accordance with His specific plan for ones life. This includes the discovering, perfecting and utilizing of ones spiritual gift(s) which God has given to every believer. And God provides the circumstances by which one may choose to exercise those gifts and serve Him. All of this begins and continues with an earnest and regular study of God's Word in order to renew ones mind to think properly to serve God best.     <<   Previous: Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary  | Next: 22nd Ordinary Sunday >>   Go Back to SERMONS (Year C)