Here are two reflections on the scriptures for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Aug 21, 2016). Taking advantage of the three year cycle, I’m repeating blog postings from 2013 and 2010.
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August 21, 2013
From Tarshish Through the Narrow Gate
On the 21st. Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 25th) the lectionary readings pairs Is 66:18-21 with the Gospel reading (Lk 13:22-30.) Isaiah writes that brothers and sisters from far away (and unlikely) nations will find their way to Jerusalem. This includes places such as Tarshish. Some of them, the LORD says: "I will take as priests and Levites." In the Gospel we are reminded that many will think that they are deserving to enter. But the gate is narrow, some self-satisfied souls will find that their attitudes and behaviors disqualify them for entry. On the other hand, people will come from the east, west, north and south and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
I'm reminded that St. Augustine, trained in the elegant rhetoric of Cicero, was initially repulsed by the scripture. How could people accept such crude and inelegant prose. It took a deep conversion for him to realize that God speaks to all people and that deep truths are often found in crude languages spoken by people from unlikely places.
We need to strive to be ready to enter. The people we look down upon as being foreigners, unlettered or simply strange may gain entry ahead of us.
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August 19, 2010
Three Images of God as Father
The readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time focus on entering through the narrow gate, how we should maintain our spiritual fitness, and how we will be surprised when we find that some unlikely people make it through the gate.
The second reading, Hebrews 12:5-13, emphasizes the discipline of training. When we read "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?" We (or at least I) tend to move over towards that old time religion image of God as the stern disciplinarian in the sky. This is a contrast of the image conveyed by the name of God as abba - the word little children use to call out to their daddy. It also contrasts with the image of the father who eagerly welcomes the return of a son who has betrayed him.
The contrast can be resolved by looking at the word discipline as training for an athletic event. (I'm told that this is much closer to the meaning of the original Greek.) Last week we saw an example of how a good trainer/coach might act. When the Nationals played the Arizona Diamondbacks, Stephen Strassburg overthrew first base costing two unearned runs. The coach, I'm sure, did not say "Stephen, God is punishing you for the baseball sin of rushing your throw." He probably said, "Stephen, you were in a hurry and paid a price for your mistake. Next time set your feet and then throw."
From that perspective we can agree with Hebrews that "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
By doing that we are striving "to enter through the narrow gate" and will find that we are "strong enough."
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