A man approaches Jesus, asking, “Is it true that only a few people will be saved?” We get the feeling that this man believes that the answer will be “yes”, that he thinks that he will be one of the chosen ones who will be saved. Jesus does not answer this man directly, but instead tells him that many will strive to enter the narrow gate, but only a few will be strong enough to enter. What is important is not how we view ourselves as God’s chosen ones, but rather how we walk down the road of faith, that narrow path Jesus spoke about. When that gate is closed for the last time, so many will be shouting and crying to get in. How do we see ourselves as committed to our faith in light of Christ's message today?
The scribes and Pharisees attacked Jesus for eating and drinking with sinners, for reaching out to them rather than condemn them. However, more than having contact with Jesus, these men and women needed to repent and to change their lives. It is not enough to claim Jesus as our friend, to say that he is our Lord and our Savior. It is not enough to be a baptized Christian who has heard Christ’s teachings, who tries to go to mass everything Sunday and and tries to fulfill all of our religious obligations. Yes, we are called to do those things, but we are also called to go below the surface of our faith. To go through the narrow gate as a disciple of Christ, we must commit ourselves to living out the Gospel and to being transformed.
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