“I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!” (Luke 13:22-30)

    For many years, I facilitated a support group for people who had been away from the Church and wanted to find a path back to their faith.

   With every new group, inevitably someone would explain how they just didn’t feel God in their lives. I would use the example of married couples. What would happen, I asked, if when a man and a woman met, only one of them put effort into building their relationship? Do you think that couple would ever marry successfully?

   Or even better, what would happen within a marriage when one spouse works to grow the relationship, but the other does nothing?

   When reading this week’s Gospel from Luke, I thought of those long discussions our group would have on this subject. 

   What work have you put into building a relationship with God? How have you continued to nurture your spiritual life, or did your religious education stop when you received your confirmation years ago? When was the last time you asked God into your life?

   I can’t think of anything scarier than dying, coming face-to-face with the Lord, and having God say to me, “I don’t know where you are from. I don’t know who you are!” Yikes!

   Through the Pascal Mystery, salvation is won for all, not just Catholics, but we have to do our part. We have to put in the effort to build, grow and nurture our relationship with God.

   Jesus is rather straight-forward in warning us. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter, but will not be strong enough.”

   The gate is narrow; it’s not wide-open with an assurance of an easy passage. We can’t sit back with arms crossed and moan that we can’t feel God in our lives if we make no attempt to invite God in, to marvel in God’s wondrous deeds, to allow God to see who we are, as we continue to learn more about who God is.

   It’s called building a relationship. At times it will be hard (think of Jesus on that road to Calvary), but imagine the joy of being one of those going through that narrow gate into God’s embrace!

  By Debbie Bosak