Gospel:
Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. 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. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Gospel Trivia:
The message of the gospel can be gleaned from the following "trivia":
- Note that the door is locked and can only be open from the inside (by God).
- The verse "I do not know where you are from" connotes "I do not acknowledge you (as a member or as a friend)" or, only a superficial acquaintance.
- Those who are cast out are considered "evildoers".
This is a key phrase. Hitherto, the perception of the Jews is that they are Yahweh's chosen people, and are thus privileged to be part of God's Kingdom. Instead, Jesus says it is open to everyone ("north, south, east, west" connotes universality and openness). Some of the "chosen" ones will actually be excluded.
The basis for entering the Kingdom is not membership, but Jesus standards of love and forgiveness.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Makati: St. Paul Publications, 1987), p. 204-205.
Gospel:
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Gospel Trivia:
Biblically, "fire" is symbolic of divine punishment; but in this case, "fire" connotes the fire of the Holy Spirit, and of purification and renewal.
The family connotes unity, and its division suggests the end times.
Jesus tells his disciples that his gospel message of love and forgiveness will not always be received peacefully, but with much controversy. (Indeed, his radical message led to his crucifixion.) Its radicalness may lead to a division, but the fire of the Holy Spirit will renew our hearts, such that God's will prevails at the end.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), p. 357-358.
Gospel:
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Gospel Trivia:
There are several trivia here that would help us appreciate the meaning of this gospel story:
- "girding one's loins" is done so that one's robe does not get in the way, and one can swiftly get up and, in this case, walk towards and open the house's gate for the master;
- a "lighted lamp" is most important because one cannot move or do anything, not even walk, in total darkness;
- the "second or third watch" refers to the middle of the night as the night is usually divided into three watches (or shifts) by Jewish tradition.
But the most important trivia here is that the master, upon finding vigilant servants upon his arrival, will wait and serve on them. A master never does this to his servants. And even if it is, isn't it strange that they would have a feast in the middle of the night? Why not wait the next day.
This story is allegorical, or symbolic. It talks about vigilance, and also of the rewards of vigilance. God welcomes his disciples with so much joy that he prepares the heavenly banquet for them.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Makati: St. Paul Publications, 1987), pp. 174-175.
