An Open Door

Timothy Gardner O.P.

22 August 2004
Twenty-First Sunday of the Year (C)

fr. Timothy Gardner preaches on the narrow door through which we must pass to life.

Few of us would like to be thought of as 'narrow minded'. In a society where any moral position must be tolerated and 'broad-mindedness' is celebrated, narrowness of mind is condemned as illiberal and moralising. And yet in today's gospel, our Lord is clearly warning us that, if we are to avoid damnation, we need to be narrow minded at least in our pursuit of heaven, because the door is itself narrow.

In the reading from Isaiah, we see that God's generosity is boundless. Not only will he gather his chosen people to see his glory, but their enemies too. He will even gather the nations who do not know him and they in turn will become heralds of his glory.

This new community will be brethren, brothers and sisters, and some will have especially intimate access to his presence as priests and Levites. This is all rather comforting. God does not want us to be lost, and he will search us out and bring us to Jerusalem, his holy mountain.

In the gospel, Jesus is doing the same thing. He is bringing his followers to Jerusalem, the place where they will see his glory.

However, he warns them that the door is narrow and that crossing its threshold will be hard. We cannot enter by the narrow door while we are burdened by the things of this world. To enter the door we must divest ourselves of the cares and vanities of the world.

The thought that we might not be saved, that Jesus may say to us, 'I do not know you,' is chilling. We tend rather to hope that God will save us in spite of our selves, that having good intentions is enough. But as Jesus says elsewhere, it is not enough to cry, 'Lord, Lord!' - we need instead to do the will of the Father.

The chilling thing is not that the question of our salvation is purely arbitrary, like a poker hand, but that unlike us, God doesn't cheat. If we choose other goals, if we prefer the things of this world to God, we will find that far from saving us in spite of ourselves, God will confirm our choices.

The use of the word 'know' in the Bible is interesting. Adam 'knew' his wife Eve and at the Annunciation, our Lady proclaims her confusion given that she has not 'known' a man. Here, 'knowing' is the most intimate experience possible between two human beings.

The Holy Father, in his book Love and Responsibility, takes up this theme and discusses human sexuality and what it implies for our knowledge of and relationship with God. The scriptural view of 'knowledge' or intimacy does not allow any barriers or half measures. It is total self-gift of the kind seen perfectly in Jesus. So what is crucial is knowing Jesus, not just knowing about him.

I am sure that most of us have been asked at some time or other whether 'we know Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour'. Do we? I suspect that much of the time we are not really very sure. We get distracted when we try to pray and our minds wander during Mass.

But as the reading from Hebrews tells us, we should not lose heart. What matters is Jesus knowing us. It is God who first calls us, who showers us with graces to give us strength to strive to enter by the narrow door. Though we may fail God, he will not fail us, and even when he corrects our faults we are assured that our suffering will bear fruit.

The good news of today's gospel is that the door, though narrow, is still open. For our part we must ensure that we do nothing to close it.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Apo 3:20)

fr Timothy Gardner lives at the Priory of St. Dominic, London, where he works as a hospital chaplain and a school chaplain.

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© Text 2004 Timothy Gardner O.P.
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