A Homily for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
“Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”
–Luke 13:24–
If you have heard this story from me prior to 2022, you are probably among those closest to my heart. Now I tell all who are willing to hear.
Many years ago, when I was a young priest, I went to confession to a priest by the name of Father Anthony J. Costa.[1] Here is what he told me after I had confessed straying into some dangerous territory:
Bernie, you are on a raft floating downstream. Soon you will see a sign that says, THREE MILES TO THE FALLS. You have a choice. You can jump off the raft and swim ashore, or you can stay on the raft. If you stay on, soon you will see a sign that says, TWO MILES TO THE FALLS. You have a choice. You can jump off the raft and swim to shore, or you can remain on the raft. If you stay on, you will see a sign that says, ONE MILE TO THE FALLS. You have a choice. You can jump off the raft and swim ashore, or you can stay on the raft. If you stay on, you will see a sign that says, HALF A MILE TO THE FALLS. You have a choice. You can jump off the raft and swim to shore, or you can stay on the raft. If you stay on, the time will come when you will want to jump off the raft, but it will be too late. My advice is to jump off NOW!
When it comes to any virtue, one never simply drifts into it. Drifting always implies a movement downstream. One must always strive and fight for virtue. Thus Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” Journalist Paul Tough, in his wonderful book, How Children Succeed, argues that worldly success belongs neither to the wealthy nor to the intelligent, but to those who have grit, a determination to persist even when the going gets difficult. The same is true when it comes to getting to heaven. No wonder Jesus warns that whoever follows Him must count the cost.[2]
Do I dare state the obvious? Christian discipleship involves discipline. We learn from our Second Reading that: “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.”[3]
Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart but for only those willing to suffer and to sacrifice! The image of Christianity, therefore, is not the wood of a raft whereon we simply drift along but the wood of the Cross whereon we die to ourselves.
Oh, by the way, you will be happy to know that I quickly jumped off the raft and swam safely to shore. Am I glad I did! Why did I even want to swim to shore? Because, deep down, I knew Someone would be there to welcome me. Robert Bolt’s Saint Thomas More says it best: “Well…finally…it isn’t a matter of reason; finally it’s a matter of love.”[4]
[1] Father Costa is currently the pastor of Saint Jude Church in Chalfont, Pennsylvania.
[2] Luke 14:25-33.
[3] Hebrews 12:11.
[4] From the play A Man for All Seasons.