21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

When we are baptized the gates of heaven are opened to us and the offer of eternal life with God is given to us. This offer is made to all of the baptized, but not all of the baptized will accept it. That is because the offer of eternal life with God comes with requirements. There are things we have to do in this life if we want to go to heaven when we die. Jesus tells us to strive to enter through the narrow gate. The gates of heaven are not only narrow, but they are shaped like a cross. Understanding Jesus’s crucifixion is the key to understanding how to pass through the narrow gate.

The crucifixion of Christ is the greatest act of love in human history. Suffering is the currency of love. You only love someone in as much as you are willing to suffer for them. Jesus took the suffering of all humanity upon himself for the salvation of the world. He redeemed man from slavery to death. It was sacrificial love that unlocked the gates of heaven and it is only through sacrificial love that we may pass through those gates. Jesus told us that if we love him, we would follow his commands and the commands he wants us to follow is to love God before all else and to love one another with that same love. We are given a choice. If we choose love-of-self and put ourselves first in this life, we are unfit to pass through the narrow gate. When we sacrifice our lives for another, we configure ourselves to Christ, who is sacrificial love itself. Properly configured to Christ, we can pass through the narrow, cross shaped gates into heaven.

Many will attempt to enter but not be strong enough. Many will cling to their lives when they are presented with an opportunity to sacrifice for another. Sacrifice comes in many forms, most of which do not require great, heroic actions. Sacrifice starts with small acts of kindness. It starts by recognizing Christ in another. It starts be seeing a person’s dignity and not their label. It can be as simple as a smile, a pleasant hello, or by holding a door open for them. One of the most powerful sacrifices you can make for another is to forgive them of the wrongs they committed against you. Hold nothing against anyone. The grudges and hatred that we carry in this life cannot pass into heaven and neither can we as long as we choose hold onto that baggage. Learn to let it go.

Jesus said that the world would know that you belong to him by the love you share with one another. The thing that is supposed to separate Christians from the rest of the world is the sacrificial love in the form of service we give to others. Examine your lives from this past week. How many times did you put your wants, desires, and needs aside to serve someone else? If you are anything like me that list is no where as long as it should be. How many times did you ignore the opportunity to sacrifice for another and put yourself first? Some who are last will be first and some who are first will be last. Strive always to put other people before yourself. The love you give will be multiplied and returned to you by your heavenly Father, who is the source of all love.