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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

August 24, 2025

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

O God, who cause the minds of the faithful
to unite in a single purpose,
grant your people to love what you command
and to desire what you promise,
that, amid the uncertainties of this world,
our hearts may be fixed on that place
where true gladness is found.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading Is 66:18-21

Thus says the Lord: 18 “For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, 19 and I will set a sign among them. “From them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud—which draw the bow— to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20 “They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.” 21 “And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites,” says the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm Ps. 117:1, 2

R/. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

Second Reading Heb 12:5-7, 11-13

And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; 6 for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.” 7 Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? 11 Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” Jesus said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 “When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But the Lord will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. 29 Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. 30 “Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Catena Nova

Let no one despair of being saved. For if the diseases of wickedness that oppress us are great, there is an almighty mighty doctor coming who can deliver us. But all of us should remember that the same Son of God who comes in meekness to save us will come again in severity to judge us. (Venerable Bede)

God cries out that the kingdom of heaven is for sale. The glorious bliss of this kingdom surpasses the power of mortal eye to see, mortal ear to hear, mortal heart to conceive. If anyone asks the price that must be paid, the answer is: The One who wishes to bestow a kingdom in heaven has no need of earthly payment. No one can give God anything he does not possess, because everything belongs to him. Yet he does not give such a precious gift entirely gratis, for he will not give it to anyone who lacks love. After all, people do not give away what they hold dear to those without appreciation. The desires of God and all the saints will be the same as yours in heaven. So since God has no need of your possessions but must not bestow such a precious gift on anyone who disdains to value it, love is the one thing he asks for; without this he cannot give it. Give love, then, and receive the kingdom: love and it is yours. (Anselm of Canterbury)

It is not by your actions that you will be saved, but by your being. (Meister Eckhart)

No one can be saved without divine light. Divine light causes us to begin and to make progress, and it leads us to the summit of perfection. Therefore if you want to begin and to receive this divine light, pray. If you have begun to make progress and want this light to be intensified within you, pray. And if you have reached the summit of perfection, and want to be super-illumined so as to remain in that state, pray. (St. Angela of Foligno)

God displays in a marvelous manner the incomprehensible riches of his power in the vast array of things that we see in nature, but he causes the infinite treasures of his goodness to show forth in an even more magnificent way in the unparalleled variety that we see in grace. In a holy excess of mercy, God is not content solely with granting to his people, that is, to the human race, a general or universal redemption whereby everyone can be saved. God has diversified redemption in many ways, so that while God’s generosity shines forth in all this variety, the variety itself, in turn, adds beauty to his generosity. (St. Francis de Sales)

You know that there is no middle course, and that it is a question of being saved or lost for all eternity. It depends on us: either we may choose to love God eternally with the Saints in Heaven after we have done violence to self here below by mortifying and crucifying ourselves as they did, or else renounce their happiness by giving to nature all for which it craves. (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

All would wish to be saved and to enjoy the glory of paradise; but to gain heaven, it is necessary to walk in the straight road that leads to eternal bliss. This road is the observance of the divine commandments. Hence, in his preaching, the Baptist exclaimed: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ (St. Alphonsus Liguori)

Homily

Salvation was in the news this week. Someone who might have good reason to be concerned said, “I want to try and get to heaven, if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole." His words, not mine. But is that what the person who questioned Jesus had in mind? Heaven? I doubt it. He probably had a very “earthly” idea of salvation in mind. Sharing the expectation God was about to intervene in human history and restore Israel’s fortunes while installing a successor to King David on his refurbished throne. Others were expecting a spiritual renewal that would overthrow a corrupt priesthood so a cleansed Temple could be led by a worthy high priest. Still others thought a prophet like Moses would appear on the scene whose preaching would finally bring about a revival among God’s people when the Law and the Covenant would be adhered to wholeheartedly. Of course, all such hopes were dashed when Vespasian and Titus moved against Jerusalem destroying both the city and its temple.

So it’s no wonder Christians began to think of salvation differently, remanding it more and to an afterlife in heaven — though never forgetting that the human body and material universe will share in salvation at the resurrection of the dead when a new heaven and new earth bring creation to fulfillment. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we celebrated on August 15th points us in that direction as such hopes have already come about in her person.

But that more earthy view of salvation still lingers in some quarters of the Christian world. Enter Christian Nationalism — and its Catholic counterpart — “Integralism.” Put simply, such impulses would blur, if not erase, the distinction between Church and State. We see it in everything from the Secretary of Defense's membership in a church whose pastor would deny women the right to vote to the woman who has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage. The same thing is behind the Patriarch of Moscow's support of Putin, calling the invasion of Ukraine a "holy war," going so far as to declare soldiers who die fighting for Russia have all their sin washed away.

Such impulses, like their ancient counterparts, always require a messianic figure around whom to rally their cause — a “leader” toward whom they exhibit unflinching loyalty who "alone" can save them. And there's little room for dissent in such utopias. Which is why violence almost always accompanies these movements to "purify" society — as we are learning all too well in this country. Everything from masked ICE agents with their white supremacist agenda to the Patriarch's insistence that the war in Ukraine is all about preserving Holy Russia from "depraved Western values."

But here's the rub. Such confidence in earthly forms of "salvation" ignores some important lessons heralded in today's readings. Take Isaiah, for example. He warns Israel — which knew itself to be a Chosen People — how Gods' view of humanity is far more inclusive. The prophet foretells a time when a slew of foreigners will take their place alongside Israel on a seemingly equal footing: ‘Thus says the Lord: . . . I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see my glory.’ When all those people thought unclean and unworthy— all those strange people from Tarshish, Put, and Lud. . . to Tubal and Javan— Isaiah saw would enter the house of the Lord, some of them [even serving] as priests to offer sacrifice there (cf. I).

Then there's Jesus who pops the balloon of the nationalists and integralists of his time when he warns them, ‘There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from the east and the west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.’

So it appears the narrow gate will fling wide open to welcome those it once barred. And those opposed to Jesus' vision of "salvation" better be careful as they try to implement their own, For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. What's worse, they risk hearing those awful words, I do not know where you are from. (G)
Now we all want God’s word to confirm our cherished opinions and to refute those who disagree with us, don’t we? And the Bible’s great for choosing up sides. Which is why, in the end, “salvation” must lie beyond history, beyond political systems, beyond earthly kingdoms (including our own) in God’s future: a salvation those who've gone before us enjoy — Mary fully — while we who hope for that salvation pray here and now amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found. (Collect). In this banquet which is the foretaste of the one awaiting us the Kingdom of God. Who with the Son and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Web Site)

For unity in the Body of Christ: that Christians from east and west, north and south, may work together in confronting evil, poverty, and disease so that the Gospel may be made known in deeds as well as words.

For all who are facing difficult choices, particularly about health issues, relationships, or employment: that the Spirit guide them to inner freedom, integrity, and wholeness.

For fortitude: that we may resist the easy path of violence, greed, prejudice, and self-righteousness, and strive to encourage and support one another in following Christ in our unique vocations.

For all who are suffering from storms, floods, or other disasters: that God will comfort them, give them strength, and guide them to the resources that they need

For refugees and those fleeing warfare: that God will open a path to safety, provide food and shelter for them, and help them to find acceptance in their new communities.

For those working to promote racial and inter-religious harmony: that God will guide their efforts and help all to give witness to the dignity of each person.

For peace: that God will heal the divisions and mistrust in society, help us to speak respectfully of one another, and to pursue the common good.

To the banquet of your kingdom, O God of the nations, you have invited people of every race and tongue. May all who are called to a place at your table come by the narrow way to the unending feast of life. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

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