Strive to enter through the narrow gate.
Lk 13:22-30
EXEGESIS
Jerusalem
Luke’s gospel has a framework which I call “Trip to Jerusalem”, that is, he tells his gospel story with Jesus moving towards Jerusalem where he will meet this death. This means that he was not forced to die. He willingly met his death in obedience to the Father’s will. And that was why he came. He came to die so that we might be saved. And that was also the reason why he was given the name of Jesus. The angel Gabriel said: “Because he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus is called “Redeemer” or “Manunubos”. Sometimes when people are hard up they are forced to pawn jewelry, even those with sentimental value. Later they return to the pawnshop to redeem or “tubusin” that piece of jewelry. When we sin, Jesus comes to redeem us (tubusin) from the power of the devil. And the price is his obedience until death.
Saved
The Jews (at least in the time of Jesus) believed that only Jews will be saved. Some even went as far as to think that hell was created for non-Jews.
I had a relative who used to be a Methodist but turned Baptist. One day she asked me a question that no one ever asked me before: “Are you saved?” I answered, “Not yet”. But Baptists teach that once you accept Jesus as Lord, you are already saved. I read an article in the Catholic Digest that says that the answer of Catholics is this: “Yes, I am saved because Jesus already died for me. But I am also in the process of being saved by Jesus because I am still here on earth. And I hope to be saved and go to heaven when I die.”
Door / Gate
Remember when you had to go to the toilet of an airplane? The door is so narrow and the space is so cramped that it takes some effort to get in and do your thing.
It is true that Jesus already paid the price of our redemption. But it is also true that God who created us without our cooperation can not save us without our co-operation. We also need to do our part and it is not always easy.
Antonio Bernardo used to be the Customs Bureau chief. Once he told us that even before he sat in his office he was already receiving thick envelopes. He asked us to pray for him because the temptation was so great. It is not easy to be faithful to God’s commandments. We need sipag at tiyaga.
SIPAG AT TIYAGA (HARDWORK AND PERSEVERANCE)
We have heard of the saying: Kung may tiyaga, may nilaga. Or kung may sipag at tiyaga, may nilaga. My brother is working in the US. Last year he brought his family along. His life in US is tough. He works for a programming company. He has a salary enough to survive. He has two children in elementary grade. His wife can’t work because her visa doesn’t allow her to work and even if she can work there are too many applicants. When he started looking for a job, he sent out his resume to many companies. One company called for him. The job was to clean the theater after every show. He was willing to take that job only another company offered him a job that was along his line. I know that my brother would make it in the US not only because he is intelligent and he has sipag at tiyaga.
I was riding a taxi once in the Philippines. The man had children in college. One thing he told me: “Huwag ka lang tatamad-tamad hindi ka magugutom sa Pilipinas.”
Warren Buffett is worth $52 billion. He is the third richest man in the world after Bill Gates and the Mexican, Carlos Helu. He is giving about $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His business is in investments. How did he get so rich? He studied hard as a student. He worked hard. Forbes magazine said that he used to spend hours studying financial statements of companies in order to find out in which companies to invest in. Warren Buffett has sipag at tiyaga.
Filipinos like you who are working abroad succeed because of abilidad and sipag at tiyaga. I know of a man now working in Ireland. Do you know that he owns two houses now? He is renting out his first house.
But there is danger in success. I heard the ASEAN manager of Johnson and Johnson say that he doesn’t want his children to experience the hardships he went through when his father died. At the time he was in college. He had other brothers and sisters who were also studying. Being the eldest, he became a working stu-dent. He said that he didn’t want his children to go through the same experience. I would understand that but he shouldn’t make life to easy for his children because if he does that his children will not develop sipag at tiyaga.
For example, I read about a wealthy family. His two sons were studying in an well-known university. Yet he refused to buy them a car each even though he could afford them. Why? Because he didn’t want too easy a life for them. He wanted them to develop sipag at tiyaga.
Sipag at tiyaga is also a good rule for the spiritual life. Someone said that saints are sinners who kept on trying. Saints and we are both sinners. The only difference is that they had sipag at tiyaga in trying to be good. St. John Bosco himself said that he had to work hard to put his tempter under control.
Among the Saints there are those we call martyrs and those we call confessors. martyrs die or the faith. Confessors profess the faith by living it. It is said that what confessors lack in intensity, they make up for endurance. St. Dominic did not die a martyr’s death like St. Tarcisius. But he became a Saint by living his faith day by day. He was not ningas cugon. May tiyaga siya.
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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.
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