From the Gospel according to Luke. Lk. 13:22-30
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.”
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Do you know Him? Does He know you?
How terrible it would be to hear from Jesus’ own lips: “I don’t know who you are” on the day we finally meet Him.
To know Him means entering into a relationship of ever-deeper intimacy, until we reach perfect communion in heaven. That communion we can already begin to experience here on earth. What peace the soul finds when it is united to the Heart of Jesus!
To know Him means entering into a relationship of ever-deeper intimacy, until we reach perfect communion in heaven. That communion we can already begin to experience here on earth. What peace the soul finds when it is united to the Heart of Jesus!
The real test to see if I’m not just being led by my selfishness, comfort, or passions lies in my actions. St. John Paul II reminds us that love is expressed in our relationships, especially the one with my spouse and those closest to me. Because I could be doing novenas, apostolates, and adoration, yet leave my spouse aside and in doing so, I would also be abandoning the Bridegroom, the Lord Himself. Let us listen to Him in prayer. He tells us to love Him concretely, through the people He places in our lives. That is our spouses. Marriage is a beautiful path to know Him and to truly know one another and in that way, to discover Jesus in my spouse. There are marriages where the couple never really get to know each other, because they never built true intimacy. At some point, they realize they don’t know each other anymore and they drift apart. But to know the Heart of the Lord is also to know myself, to know my spouse, and little by little, to become one in the Lord.
Applied to Married Life:
Lucy: How grateful I am to the Lord for leading us on this path of conversion, discovering the beauty of the Sacrament of Marriage.
Declan: Conversion, Lucy? But we were already in the Church…
Lucy: Oh Declan, but look at how we were! With a mediocre, conformist faith. We went to Mass or to the couples’ group like we go grocery shopping, just when it was time, like any other plan. And now it’s different, isn’t it?
Declan: You’re right, Lucy. Now we’ve learned to seek intimacy with the Lord in prayer, to keep Him present in everything we do. Before, it wasn’t like that.
Lucy: We’ve discovered that Christ is right here between us, and through the conyugal prayer we’ve built an intimacy with each other and with Him that we never imagined possible.
Declan: Yes, it’s amazing! We’ve also learned to see His will in everything that happens, good or bad, and to trust in Him.
Lucy: I think we have so much to thank Him for in our conversion, don’t you?
Declan: You’re absolutely right. Let’s make today’s prayer a thanksgiving to God for this true conversion of our hearts. What a privilege it is to be so loved by Him.
Mother,
Today we give you endless thanks for your “Yes,” for the gift of your Son in our lives. Teach us to build true intimacy between ourselves and Him. Blessed and praised be the Lord forever!