The Costly Ticket to Heaven

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 24, 2025

Readings: Isaiah 66:18–21; Psalm 117:1, 2; Hebrews 12:5–7, 11–13; Luke 13:22–30

Life is full of perplexity. Yet there is space for wonder, awe and amusement. We would like to have things happen to us just as we think. Unfortunately, it does not turn out to be so. Our destiny has many facets. We are uncertain about the future; moreover, we are uncertain of the present as well. Yet we make some calculated moves, hoping that everything will be on our side. In fact, the world in which we live sets many expectations and awaits results or output from us. The liturgical readings for this Sunday are unique, special and tough. Yet they teach us something that is very important for our lives, that is to live in the presence of God.

1. Discipleship Beyond Shortcuts

In this passage, Luke 13:22–30, Jesus is journeying toward Jerusalem, and someone asks Him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Often, we are not worried about ourselves and our salvation but of others. We are pretty kind, right? The answer of Jesus is straightforward. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” What seems at first an abstract curiosity suddenly becomes deeply personal. The question is not about how many are saved, but rather, am I living as a disciple who seeks the Kingdom with all strength and sincerity?

The “narrow gate” imagery is striking in the present digital world when many doors seem wide and effortless. We live in an age of instant gratification, shortcuts, and a culture that often disposes of what is difficult or demanding. Everything must come to our table effortlessly. The Gospel reminds us that the path of authentic discipleship is not about ease but about fidelity. It is a gate that requires humility, perseverance, and a heart willing to sacrifice for love of God and neighbour.

2. The Expensive ticket to heaven

The Word of God does not tell us that salvation is a prize for the strongest or a reward for the few. There is no choosing here or seeking influence. The narrowness of the gate is not about exclusion but about transformation. To pass through requires shedding the excess pride, selfish ambition, jealousy, wickedness, grudges, and attachments that weigh us down. The narrow gate protects the integrity of the Reign of God, ensuring that those who enter come with hearts shaped by compassion, justice, and mercy. In other words, it is a vast, global banquet. 

Facinatingly, this passage also carries a warning: it is not enough to claim superficial familiarity with Christ (“We ate and drank in your company…”) or to think cultural Christianity alone grants entry. Just because you are a Christian, it does not mean that you have a free entry into heaven. The ticket to heaven is expensive and complex.  What matters is the lived relationship — allowing our choices, our treatment of others, our inner life of prayer to bear witness that we know Him personally.

3. The desire of God: From Spectator to Participant

What is the desire of God? It is to bring all together at the table with love. No one is excluded from God's love. Even the “last” are not written off; they are welcomed. The question is, am I ready to rejoice when God’s mercy overturns expectations? For a Christian, the journey is everything. The answers of Jesus come during his journey to Jerusalem, symbolic indeed. Jesus becomes personal and sees the need to be direct and to the point.

Jesus is telling us that our relationship with God is not a passive inheritance or a spectator sport. It is not something like you are part of a like-minded people's association. It demands our full, conscious, and active participation. It requires discipline. The choice to pray when we are tired and distracted. The choice to forgive when our pride wants to hold a grudge. The choice to serve when it is inconvenient. The choice to turn off the noise of the world and listen for the still, small whisper or voice of God.

Questions for self-reflection

1. When I hear "strive to enter through the narrow gate," do I interpret it as limiting me — or as an invitation to deeper authenticity and freedom?
2. What must I “set down” to pass through — grudges, pride, reliance on status, or spiritual complacency?

Prayer

Lord, give me the courage to walk the narrow yet life-giving path. Strip from me the burdens that draw me away from You. Keep my heart humble and my spirit open, that I may rejoice when Your Kingdom gathers the unexpected and unseen. May I not only know of You but live in You, so that when the door opens, I may enter and take my place at Your table of love. I make this prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

21 August 2025