The
Locked Door
Fr.
George Smiga
24
August 2004
Luke
13:22 - 30
Well
this is a difficult passage. What does it mean when the Gospel
tells us that we will come and knock upon the door of eternal
life and find that it is locked? What does it mean that we
will come seeking to enter in and be told that we are rejected?
I thought that God was always willing to welcome us in. I
thought that there would always be an open door when we came
and knocked. Even a few chapters earlier in Luke's Gospel
Jesus says this very thing. “Ask and you shall receive. Knock
and it shall be opened to you.” So what does this passage
mean that tells us that when we try to enter, we will be refused.
When we seek come in, the door will be locked.
Well
to answer that question let us start with what we know is
true. God's will is to save us; to save every person in this
church; to save every person in the world. God is always willing
and open to invite us in to eternal life. But salvation is
a two way street. It requires our participation. God's intention
is not the only factor. God will never change in God's desire
to save us. But two things can change: our circumstances and
our very selves. When these things change we can find that
the door in fact is locked.
How
can we explain this? There are many stories that have resulted
from the tragic events of 9/11. But one of the most poignant
for me was a story that I experienced on 9/12. As you know
during that time many people came to church and spent time
in prayer. I encountered a woman leaving church. I said to
her, “I am glad you came today to pray. We all need prayers.”
“Some more than others,” she said. “Do you want to know who
I was praying for today?” “Sure,” I said. “I was praying for
all the spouses of the people that died in those twin towers
who left for work yesterday morning angry at their husband
or wife. They always thought that there would be time to make
peace. They always thought that there would be another opportunity
to be reconciled. Yet there was not. They will have to live
with that for the rest of their lives.”
Circumstances
in our life change. What is possible today is not always possible
tomorrow. The people with whom we need to be reconciled will
not always be with us. The people we want to thank or tell
them that we love them could be taken in an instant. When
that happens the door is locked and we can no longer get it.
But
it is not just the circumstances in our life that can change.
We ourselves change depending upon our decisions. Every time
we say no to an opportunity for life or growth it is easier
to say no again. Every time we make a decision not to act
we begin to build a habit that lessons our freedom. This can
happen in a marriage or any deep relationship. The decision
not to be honest moves us closer to living a lie. The decision
not to be generous and forgiving begins to create a pattern
of selfishness and inflexibility. Soon we can be living in
a lifeless marriage, in a dead relationship. A similar thing
can happen in dealing with addictions. Every time we pass
up an opportunity to stop drinking, to stop using drugs, we
feed the habit of the abuse that reduces our ability to live.
Every time we say no to a good opportunity we reduce the chances
of recognizing the next opportunity that comes along. God
will never cease to provide opportunities. The grace of God
will never dry up. But we can dry up. We can create a thick
crust of insensitivity and habit that refuses to let the grace
of God sink in. When that happens the door is locked and we
are unable to enter.
This
then is the warning of today's Gospel. God will never change
in God's desire to save us. But our circumstances can change
and we can change. God will never lock the door to shut us
out. But the circumstances of our life can shut us out, and
we can lose the desire to enter by the choices we refuse to
make. The message of the Gospel, then, is carpe diem .
It is a Latin phrase which means “seize the day.” The day
is now. If there is an open door in your life, walk through
it. If you need to forgive someone, do it. If you need to
thank someone or tell someone that you love them, don't wait
until tomorrow. If there is an opportunity for change or growth,
take it. God will never change, but our lives can change.
So carpe diem . Seize the day. Today is
the day of salvation.
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