Strive to Enter through the Narrow Gate

08-21-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Aruldoss

Dear People of God.

Good morning. You are all most welcome for the annual Fall Festival Sunday, on August 21 at St. Boniface, Waumandee. It will be started with a Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM, followed by a homestyle dinner, softball, adult and kids’ games, and music. The annual Waumandee Creek Duck race will take place at 4:00pm followed by the raffle drawing at 5:00pm. Pease do come and have fun.

Both the first and the gospel reading of this twenty-first Sunday have a very strong message of hope. That is, the reunion and restoration of the people of God.

The first reading is a prophesy about the return of God’s People to Jerusalem. It is an assurance that God will fulfill his promises to us. Here, the prophet makes three important points. The first is that God will soon fulfill his promise of restoring us to himself. He will surely do this to show his saving power. The second is the fact that God has a purpose for this gathering. This is for the glory of his name. Third, in addition to gathering us unto Himself, God will also make us his ambassadors to other nations. So, we need to be faithful and cooperate with God.

In the gospel, Jesus answers a very difficult question: "Lord, will only a few be saved? His response was very simple and of course, an intelligent one: “ strive to enter through the narrow gate". Through this answer, Christ reminds us that the invitation to His Kingdom is open to all the people of the world.

However, we must do what we have do by playing our roles well. This is the only way we can be guaranteed a place in the feast of the kingdom of God. In this regard, St Paul tell us : “ Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). This means that we need to prepare ourselves at all times. We are therefore called to be focused and disciplined in order to be part of the great gathering of the saints at the kingdom of heaven. Have a

Happy and Blessed Sunday!