Luke 13:22-30 Lord, Will Only A Few Be Saved?
A recent MSN article (or picture story) boasted that there are a number of longtime “unmarrieds” who show that commitment doesn’t have to include a trip to the altar! Hollywood continues to feed our culture with messages that not only run contrary to our faith, but that are really damaging to our health and peace. Do they really want us to believe that Hollywood stars are good examples of commitment? Of course! They use celebrities for commercials all the time. We believe what they say and do what they live because deep down we are all looking for attention, fame and fortune! The Christian today has his work cut out for him. It is the battle of the Titans: Glamour vs. The Truth; Celebs vs. The Unknowns; Comfort vs. The Cross. In the end, we know who is victorious – I AM! How many souls will be lost or won? This is the question!
“Go out to all the world and tell the Good News!” Go out and humble yourself, give yourself, sacrifice yourself, commit yourself to the Lord for the sake of the souls that are entrusted to your care? “Got souls?” If not, do you know someone who is lost and cannot find their way? We worry about a lot of things, but do I worry about the souls that are entrusted to my care? Their salvation? Do I bother myself for their sake? There are two things that a Christian must never say to the Lord: “I will not serve” (which is what the devil said) and/or “I cannot do this” (which is what every single patriarch, prophet and priest has said since the beginning of time). Of course we cannot do what the Lord demands. That is why he said, “Without God, nothing is possible.”
Saint Teresa of Avila couldn’t avoid complaining to her closest Friend about the cross she was asked to carry. In one of her visions with Christ, the Lord told her, “Teresa, that’s how I treat my friends.” Teresa responded, “No wonder you have so few friends!” But since Christ had so few friends, she felt they should be at least good ones. And that’s why, at the age of 43, she decided to reform her order. Great and enduring things come from the Truth, the unknowns and the cross!
“Brothers and sisters, have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children: My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him” (Hb 12:5). The Lord demands great things from those who love him. Love is paid with love. There is no other commodity that the Lord chooses to receive from us: blood for Blood; heart for Heart; sacrifice for Sacrifice; love for Love! How else will we be saved? How else will we save those entrusted to our care? “With God, nothing is impossible!” (Lk 1:37). These are the words that begin our story, His Story – the greatest story ever told!
Someone asked the Lord, “Will only a few be saved?” The Lord responded, not if I have anything to do with it! He asks the same question to us. Whatever you do for Christ, ask the Lord for the grace to respond likewise!
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