Fr Antonio Pineda
esus had one thing in common with politicians: rarely did he give a direct answer to a direct question. More often than not, he told a parable instead or changed the subject altogether. The big difference was, he did so not to deliberately mislead people or hide the truth from us like politicians do, but to encourage his listeners to go deeper into the truth. He did not spoon feed people with grand revelations. He led them to the truth slowly but surely.
Take this Sunday’s Gospel. Someone asks, “Will only a few people be saved?” (Luke 13:23). Instead of saying, “Yes, and here’s how many” or “No, a whole host of people will be saved,” Jesus seems to digress. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate,” was his strange response (13:24). He warns the people that rather than looking for an inside scoop about who is in and who is out of the kingdom of God, they should be more concerned about their own hearts.
It’s tempting to get caught up in a similar kind of speculation. Will heaven be full or empty? What about hell? How about my next-door neighbour or the person I work with whom I can’t stand? Will they get in? But Jesus tells us the same thing he told the crowd: don’t focus on who is in and who is out. That’s for the Lord to decide.
You don’t need to know how big or small heaven is to get there. But you do need to follow Jesus’ command to love the Lord with your whole heart and to love your neighbour as yourself (Luke 10:25-28). Do that, and everything else will fall into place.
Of course, the commandment to love may sound simple but it is challenging. That’s why Jesus says that the gate is narrow. The love he talks about is not a matter of conjuring up loving feelings but of dedicating ourselves to acts of kindness, mercy, and compassion. It’s why he tells us not to get caught up in those times we have failed to love but to rely on the mercy of God to heal us and strengthen us for the next challenge.
So keep your eyes focused on that narrow gate, and don’t get distracted by side concerns or questions. Because the more you love, the easier you will make it for other people to pass through that gate as well.