VIGÉSIMO PRIMER DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO 2025

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, las lecturas de este domingo nos recuerdan que todos los seres humanos estamos invitados a ser salvados por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, pero no basta con aceptar dicha invitación, sino que es necesario vivir de acuerdo con la voluntad de Dios y aceptar su corrección como un acto de amor hacia nosotros. Permítanme hacerles algunas preguntas: ¿creen que todas las personas serán salvadas?, ¿creen que basta con bautizarse y no hacer nada más para alcanzar la vida eterna?, ¿basta con confesar los pecados y no convertirse? ¿Sus padres los corregían cuando eran niños o les permitían hacer todo lo que querían? ¿Les gustaba o les disgustaba cuando los corregían? ¿Creen que esas correcciones fueron buenas para ustedes? ¿Creen que hoy en día es fácil educar a los niños? ¿Creen que a los católicos se nos permite todo?

En la primera lectura, tomada del profeta Isaías, aprendemos que todas las naciones están invitadas a ver la gloria de Dios. En la carta a los hebreos, leemos que la corrección es Buena para nuestras vidas y que Dios nos corrige porque nos quiere y desea que vivamos conforme a su voluntad. Imagina por un momento cómo sería tu vida sin corrección, especialmente la que recibiste cuando eras niño. Ten en cuenta que la disciplina y la corrección son necesarias en nuestras vidas, especialmente cuando nos sentimos confundidos, nos hemos desviado del camino correcto o hemos perdido alguno de nuestros valores. Así que no rechaces la corrección, especialmente cuando Dios quiere corregirte. Si lo hace es porque no eres perfecto y necesitas cambiar algunos aspectos de tu vida en tu camino hacia la santidad.

«Señor, ¿es verdad que son pocos los que se salvan?». Esta es una pregunta que le hicieron a Jesús cuando se dirigía a Jerusalén. Jesús no respondió si serían pocos o muchos, sino que nos aconsejó que nos esforzáramos por entrar por la puerta estrecha y nos aseguró: «Muchos tratarán de entrar y no podrán». Luego les puso el ejemplo del dueño de la casa que cerró la puerta y los que no estaban dentro se quedaron fuera y comenzaron a buscar la manera de entrar. Pero la respuesta desde dentro fue: «No sé quiénes son ustedes».

Con esta parábola, Jesús deja claro que cada uno de nosotros está invitado a colaborar en nuestra salvación haciendo lo que agrada a Dios y dejando de lado el mal. El Evangelio nos advierte de que no basta con compartir con el Señor solo algunos momentos de nuestra vida, sino que es necesario hacer su voluntad. Podría decir sin temor a equivocarme que no basta con estar bautizados, ir a misa de vez en cuando, recibir la comunión o celebrar algunos sacramentos a lo largo de nuestra vida. Es necesario hacer la voluntad de Dios, ser sus testigos en el mundo, hacer el bien y no el mal, atesorar tesoros en el cielo y no solo en los bancos de la tierra, perdonar en lugar de ofender, amar en lugar de odiar, trabajar por la paz en lugar de crear guerras y acoger en lugar de discriminar.

Jesús nos dice que, si no colaboramos y no hacemos el esfuerzo de vivir según su voluntad, es posible que, cuando lleguemos al cielo, encontremos las puertas cerradas y nos quedemos fuera llorando ante el Señor y diciendo: «¡Señor, yo iba a misa los domingos! ¡Rezaba el rosario! ¡Estoy bautizado!». Y el Señor nos responderá: «Todo eso es cierto, pero dime una cosa: ¿cómo te comportabas en tu vida cotidiana, en tu trabajo, con tu familia, con tus vecinos y amigos? ¿Crees que fuiste honesto y siempre hiciste lo correcto ante mis ojos? ¿Crees que solo se trataba de ir a misa?».

Pidamos a Jesús que nos ayude a elegirlo como camino de vida y a hacer siempre el bien a nuestros hermanos.

P. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2025

Dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday's readings remind us that all human beings are invited to be saved by our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is not enough to accept this invitation; rather, it is necessary to live according to God's will and accept His correction as an act of love toward us. Let me ask you some questions: Do you believe that all people will be saved? Do you believe that being baptized and doing nothing else is enough to attain eternal life? Is it enough to confess your sins and not convert? Did your parents correct you when you were children, or did they allow you to do whatever you wanted? Did you like it or dislike it when they corrected you? Do you think those corrections were good for you? Do you think it is easy to raise children today? Do you think Catholics are allowed to do anything?

In the first reading, taken from the prophet Isaiah, we learn that all nations are invited to see the glory of God. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read that correction is good for our lives and that God corrects us because he loves us and desires us to live according to his will. Imagine for a moment what your life would be like without correction, especially the one you received as a child. Keep in mind that discipline and correction are necessary in our lives, especially when we feel confused, have strayed from the right path, or have lost some of our values. So do not reject correction, especially when God wants to correct you. If he does, it is because you are not perfect and need to change some aspects of your life on your journey toward holiness.

"Lord, is it true that only a few are being saved?" This is a question Jesus was asked as he headed to Jerusalem. Jesus didn't answer whether they would be few or many, but advised us to strive to enter through the narrow door and assured us: "Many will try to enter and will not be able." Then he gave them the example of the master of the house who shut the door, and those who were not inside remained outside and began to look for a way in. But the answer from within was: "I don't know who you are."

With this parable, Jesus makes it clear that each of us is invited to collaborate in our salvation by doing what pleases God and putting aside evil. The Gospel warns us that it is not enough to share with the Lord only a few moments of our lives; we must do His will. I could say without fear of being wrong that it is not enough to be baptized, to go to Mass occasionally, to receive Communion, or to celebrate a few sacraments throughout our lives. We must do God's will, be His witnesses in the world, do good and not evil, store up treasures in heaven and not just in the banks of the earth, forgive rather than offend, love rather than hate, work for peace rather than create war, and welcome rather than discriminate.

Jesus tells us that if we don't cooperate and make the effort to live according to his will, it's possible that when we get to heaven, we'll find the doors closed and be left outside weeping before the Lord and saying, "Lord, I used to go to Mass on Sundays! I used to pray the rosary! I'm baptized!" And the Lord will answer us: "All that is true, but tell me one thing: How did you behave in your daily life, at work, with your family, with your neighbors and friends? Do you think you were honest and always did what was right in my eyes? Do you think it was just about going to Mass?"

Let us ask Jesus to help us choose him as our path of life and to always do good to our brothers and sisters.

Fr. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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Jesus Is the Way…

In the passage from the Gospel of Luke for this Sunday’s liturgy, someone asks Jesus, “Will those who are saved be few?” And the Lord responds: “Strive to enter by the narrow door” (Lk 13:24). The narrow door is an image that could scare us, as if salvation is destined for only a select few, or for perfect people. But this contradicts what Jesus has taught us on many occasions; and, as a matter of fact, a little further ahead, he confirms, “Men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God” (v. 29). Therefore, this door is narrow, but is open to everyone! Do not forget this: to everyone! The door is open to everyone!

But to better understand what this narrow door is, we need to ask what it is. Jesus uses an image from contemporary life, most likely referring to the fact that, when evening would fall, the doors of the city would be closed and only one, the smallest and the narrowest, would remain open. To return home, that was the only way a person could go.

Now let’s think about when Jesus says, “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved” (Jn 10:9). He wants to tell us that to enter into God’s life, into salvation, we need to pass through him, not through anyone else, through him; to welcome him and his Word. Just as to enter into the city, one had to “measure” oneself against the only narrow door that was still open, so too the Christian life is “measured against Christ”, founded and modelled on him. This means that the measuring stick is Jesus and his Gospel — not what we think, but what he says to us. And so, we are talking about a narrow door not because only a few are destined to go through it, no, but because to belong to Christ means to follow him, to commit one’s life to love, in service and in giving oneself as he did, who passed through the narrow door of the cross. Entering into the project God proposes for our life requires that we restrict the space of selfishness, reduce the presumption of self-sufficiency, lower the heights of arrogance and pride, and that we overcome laziness, in order to traverse the risk of love, even when it involves the cross.

Let’s think, to be concrete, about those daily acts of love we struggle to carry out: let’s think of parents who dedicate themselves to their children, making sacrifices and renouncing time for themselves; of those who concern themselves with others and not only with their own interests — how many people are good like this; let’s think of those who spend themselves in service to the elderly, to the poorest and most vulnerable; let’s think of those who keep on working, with commitment, putting up with discomfort and, perhaps, with misunderstanding; let’s think of those who suffer because of their faith, but who continue to pray and love; let’s think of those who, rather than following their own instincts, respond to evil with good, finding the strength to forgive and the courage to begin again. These are just a few examples of people who do not choose the wide door of their own convenience, but the narrow door of Jesus, of a life spent in love.

May Our Lady, who followed Jesus all the way to the cross, help us to measure our life with him so as to enter into full and eternal life. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Angelus, 21 VIII 22]

Rev. Jos Rajesh Peter M.S.C

21st Sunday – C – 2025

 My friends, it’s important to note the first sentence in today’s gospel reading:  Jesus was “making his way to Jerusalem.”  Jesus was well aware that his preaching and teaching will result in his suffering and death in Jerusalem – where the Temple is located and where most of the Jewish religious leaders reside and rule.  The religious leaders were extremely jealous and would do anything to get rid of Jesus, whose preaching was threatening their status. 

Of course, Jesus could have stopped his preaching and healings to save himself but he was sent by the Father to save us – not himself…

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told many parables.  He used parables to help us understand what the Kingdom of God is like and how we should treat our brothers and sisters.  His parables related to the current lifestyle, surroundings and issues of the day.  For example, in today’s parable, he described the community that lived in the Kingdom of God using Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets as examples of the residents of the Kingdom.  If Jesus told this parable today, he would include Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Francis and many other holy men and women of our era.

In today’s gospel, Jesus did not directly answer the question when asked if only a few people would be saved.   Instead, Jesus changes the context from the number of people to the quality of people.  Jesus explains that it takes a lot more than words and rituals to enter the Kingdom of God. 

Today’s parable:

The Master of the house represents God.  His house represents Heaven, eternal life, salvation.  To enter the House, Jesus used the analogy of the narrow gate.  It’s not easy to enter through the narrow gate but everyone is invited to enter.  AND – there is no number or limit as to how many can enter to enter the Kingdom.  As Jesus said in today:  “People will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south.”

My friends, as mentioned earlier, the Lord is not interested in mere words and rituals that have no meaning.  God doesn’t care about being an acquaintance with celebrities, priests, bishops and cardinals – even if they are holy men and women of God.  What matters to God is our holiness.  It matters how we treat and respect everyone – regardless of their color of skin; sexual orientation; political party affiliation; ethnicity or social status. 

Sometimes it is not easy to respect someone – as Jesus said today: “But will not be strong enough.”    That’s the narrow gate Jesus talked about. 

In Luke Chapter 6, Jesus taught:  “But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”  Narrow Gate indeed.

My friends, the standards of the Kingdom of God are not the standards of the world.  Being wealthy and powerful  doesn’t mean a thing.  It might surprise many as to who will enter the Kingdom.  “For behold, some are the last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

What matters in the Kingdom of God is how we treat others and what we do to help them, respect them, love them.  Time after time, Jesus stressed the Second Great Commandment:  “Love one Another.”  

Matthew 25 is key…