21st Sunday

21st Sunday Ordinary
August 21, 2004

"... I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.... They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD.". (Isaiah 66:18-21) "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.... 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." (Luke 13:22-30)
The prophet announces that the God of Israel is the Lord of all nations and peoples, and that God's desire is for unity around acknowledgment and worship of the one God. Jesus answers the question of his disciples about how many people will enter the kingdom of heaven. Paradoxically, those who are sure they will be among them, such as his closest followers, may well be excluded because of their pride and exclusiveness.
This is Jesus' paradox: The kingdom of heaven is difficult to attain, open and available to all. Like the disciples, most of us want to be assured that we are among the elect. The narrow way into the kingdom is gained by an expansive and open attitude of mind and heart which is difficult to acquire, i.e. only for the "strong". Except for the outsiders who do not have the energy or opportunity to exclude others. It is very difficult for us insiders in the faith to imagine that the outsiders may have a greater claim to the kingdom than we do.
I have always regarded myself as an "insider". I have always required of myself that I be the most in-the-know, the smartest, the strongest. When I was able-bodied I had to be the cyclist at the head of the pack, the fittest guy in the gym. Although I do not believe that God did this to me to teach me a lesson, (surely he could figure out an easier way to get my attention) there is a certain symmetry in the contrast between my former state and my present condition. The insider has become the outsider. The unforeseen circumstances of life offer us opportunities to reassess our theories about ourselves, the rightness of our causes and to confront our fears about loss, death and how we appear to others.
The disciples' question about how many people will be included in the kingdom of heaven may imply an anticipated answer: "Just us and the people who act, think and believe like us." Perhaps this anticipation is motivated by a fear of exclusion? Jesus' answer is not very satisfying to them. God may, or may not, manipulate the circumstances which provide the opportunity to reassess our theories about ourselves. But the Holy Spirit is always there when we are ready to do so. The way is narrow and difficult for faithful disciples. As Jesus says, we don't have forever to figure it out.
Loris Buccola