Homily from Father Chas Canoy
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In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 13:22–30), Father Chas reflects on Jesus’ call to “strive to enter through the narrow gate.” He reminds us that salvation is not about simply being a “good person” or showing up occasionally, but about living in a real relationship with Christ. It is less about moral perfection and more about truly knowing Jesus and being known by Him. With love and repentance, the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts so that we may one day hear the words we long for: “Come on in, welcome home.”
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Father Chas:
All right, well in today’s gospel, Jesus fields the million dollar question, right? Lord, will only a few people be saved? It’s a question where we may wish Jesus had given an easier answer, right? We wish maybe Jesus said, enter through the wide gate, for many will easily enter it. Just be a good person and you’re good, you’re fine. But that’s not what Jesus said, all right? All right.
Father Chas:
Jesus said, strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter, but will not be strong enough. And then Jesus proceeds to tell a parable to illustrate more precisely what he means. A parable about a master of the house who had arisen and locked the door. And that master of the house is, of course, symbolic of Jesus, who has the power not only to throw open the gates of heaven, which he did at the resurrection, but also has the power to lock — which is on the day of judgment. So Jesus continues the parable saying, then you will stand outside knocking and saying, Lord, open the door to us for us. Now notice the nature of his response. He says, I do not know where you are from. And you will say, we ate and drank in your company. You taught on our streets.
Father Chas:
So the Jew who asks Jesus may think, what do you mean you don’t know where I’m from? I’m part of your chosen people, Israel. Of course you know who I am and where I’m from. And so like that Jew, we too may be puzzled by that response, right? This is good, particularly for us Catholics to hear, because the cultural Catholic may be tempted to think likewise. What do you mean you don’t know where I’m from? I was baptized at St. John. I went to Lumen Christi. Of course you know us. We ate and drank at the Fall Festival. Right?
Father Chas:
And I went to mass at Christmas and Easter. I may not go every Sunday, but I’m a pretty good person, right? I may not be a saint, but compared to Jeffrey Epstein, I’m pretty good, right? But does Jesus’s response here mention anything about simply being a good person? No. He says, I do not know where you are from. So notice Jesus is speaking less in moral terms, but more in relational terms.
Father Chas:
It’s about knowing him and him knowing us and where we are from. In other words, Jesus is asking, what do you call home? Who do you consider your family? Who are your peeps? If you’ve identified yourself with me and with God’s family on earth, I’d recognize you. If you’ve answered my invitation to follow me, and if my heavenly home was truly your heart’s desire, I’d recognize you.
Father Chas:
So again, Jesus talks less in moral terms and more in relational terms. So this closed disposition of the master of the house towards the people who are knocking at the door was less about being morally perfect and more about familiarity. He’ll take care of the moral perfection part. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. And so perhaps what Jesus might say to the repentant sinner who knocks at his door and says, hey, I know you, come on in.
Father Chas:
Right? You may have been a horrible sinner before, but some of, you know, some of my disciples, so were some of my disciples who became great and holy saints. See, it’s the power of the Holy Spirit that transformed them and transformed you. If you live in me and you live for me, then you will live with me for eternity. I know where you’re from because I can read hearts. And I know that my heavenly abode is truly what your heart has longed for.
Father Chas:
So come on in, come on in, welcome home, right? That’s what we want to hear. And so today’s gospel reminds me of when Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew, the parallel of this in the gospel of Matthew has Jesus saying this, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven. It’s not that Jesus wants to exclude anyone from heaven, right? It’s been the complete opposite. In fact, after all, he sacrificed his life for us, taking upon himself the consequences of our bad decisions so that everyone could be redeemed. But God’s not going to force us to live with him for eternity. He truly wants people who love him, not the things he can give. Christ comes to us as the bridegroom. He wants a bride who will love him, not just his riches. Wouldn’t you want the same for your spouse, right? You don’t want to marry a gold digger who’s not really in love with you.
Father Chas:
Jesus wants people who truly want to live the life that is lived in the house of the Father. And so that’s why it’s those who do the will of the Father that enter the kingdom of heaven. It doesn’t mean we do that perfectly. That’s why Jesus gave us that sacrament of reconciliation. You husbands and wives out there know that, that even though your spouses aren’t perfect and they can do some hurtful things sometimes, you know that they love you.
Father Chas:
And as long as your loved one is sincerely repentant, you forgive them for those hurts, as difficult as that might be. Grace helps with that, of course. And they forgive you when you are sincerely repentant. So it is with Christ the bridegroom, but even more so for his love for us is perfect and total. On our part, we simply need to accept his marriage proposal and strive to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Father Chas:
If there are other loves in our life that compete or contradict with that, then our love for him is divided. And what we really are saying is with our divided loyalties is that our heart is somewhere else and that we don’t truly want the life that heaven offers, which is an existence where God is our all in all, right? Right?
Father Chas:
It’s not that we don’t love the things of this world. It’s that we love them in God because he’s the source of all of it. So having God as our solitary love orders all our other loves and allows us to use them in accord with how God desired them to be used and to be enjoyed. God is making a marriage proposal to you to become a part of his bride, the church, and he hopes that you will say yes, but he doesn’t just want lip service. As Jesus’ love for us was total and is total, so he asks that our love be the same for him.
Father Chas:
It seems that from today’s gospel, that the answer that won’t suffice is, hey, what do you mean? We hung out together. We ate and drank together. I came to your house once in a while. Yeah, it might mostly Christmas and Easter, but I found your gatherings a little boring and our time together a little bit long because, you know, I’m a busy person. I got a lot on my plate. But hey, I still love you. So come on, let me into the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb. Sounds a little insincere, doesn’t it?
Father Chas:
So it seems like folks who come in with that kind of answer want to be let in more for the big party rather than for love of the bridegroom. It seems that kind of answer, as we heard in the gospel, doesn’t yield a good response, right? I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers, and there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Father Chas:
Jesus obviously gives us this severe warning, not because he wants it to happen that way, but so that it won’t happen for us. And so the answer that will melt Jesus’ sacred heart is one that is given not with our lips, but one with our hearts. Hearts solely, wholly in love with him, desirous of receiving the life that he offers to us here and now on earth, and with lives wholly dedicated to fulfilling the will of his Father.
Father Chas:
And Jesus has made our Father’s will crystal clear in the Bible and the church that he has established, which the Holy Spirit guides to help us understand and authoritatively interpret divine revelation.