Reading 1 Is 66:18-21
I know their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
I will set a sign among them;
from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan,
to the distant coastlands
that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations
as an offering to the LORD,
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD,
just as the Israelites bring their offering
to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 117:1, 2
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R.. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2 Heb 12:5-7, 11-13
Brothers and sisters,You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:
“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”
Endure your trials as “discipline”;
God treats you as sons.
For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
Alleluia Jn 14:6
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father, except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel 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.”
ARE YOU SAVED? ARE FEW SAVED?
"Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?" –Luke 13:23
Jesus taught: "The gate that leads to damnation is wide, the road is clear, and many choose to travel it. But how narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are who find it!" (Mt 7:13-14) Jesus seems to have said that only a few people are saved from damnation. If this is a correct interpretation, our future is terrifying.
To make sure he was understanding Jesus correctly, "someone asked Him, 'Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?' " (Lk 13:23) Jesus did not answer that question exactly; instead, He stated that many will try to come into His kingdom and be unable (Lk 13:24). Jesus also declared that eating and drinking with Him and having heard His teachings do not assure us of salvation (Lk 13:26-27). "Some who are last will be first and some who are first will be last" (Lk 13:30).
How can we be saved? We are saved only by God's grace (Eph 2:7ff). What must we do to be saved? (Acts 16:30) "Believe in the Lord Jesus" (Acts 16:31). Give Jesus your whole life and "work with anxious concern to achieve your salvation" (Phil 2:12). Believe in Jesus, the Savior, now.
| PRAYER: | Father, deepen my faith as I hear Your Word (Rm 10:17). |
| PROMISE: | "Make straight the paths you walk on, that your halting limbs may not be dislocated but healed." –Heb 12:13 |
| PRAISE: | Praise Jesus, "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (Jn 14:6), "the Resurrection and the Life" (Jn 11:25). Alleluia! |
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