Discipleship as Striving!

Sunday, August 24, 2025

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13:22-30

The twenty-first Sunday invites us to reflect on discipleship as striving, thus pointing to relentlessness and persistence in our faith journey. 

The readings of the day help us meditate on the need of an intentional life for the followers of Christ. 

Today’s first reading is the climax of the Book of Isaiah. It speaks of God’s final action to bring all nations to Himself. The prophetic vision transcends Israel to highlight an inclusive and universal salvation, showing God’s glory being revealed to Gentiles. The idea of ‘survivors sent to distant lands’ refers to the mission mandate, which signifies that those who are redeemed by God become agents and evangelizers of God’s revelation. If there is one point that stands out from the rest, it is the fact that the Gentiles will not only be included as part of God’s people but also will be elevated as ‘priests and Levites’ to signal a complete break with the strict Levitical boundaries. Thus, the people with no identity are claimed as God’s people to become a visible sign to others. Because God’s salvation will be universal, the ‘chosen people’ cannot rest assured that their salvation will be automatic. Instead, they, like others, must strive to do God’s will to maintain their privilege as God’s people. 

The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews was written to Christians who were facing persecution and tempted to abandon their faith. Hence, the letter instructs them to see trials not as abandonment, but as proof of divine sonship. The words ‘Whom the Lord loves, He disciplines’ call for the understanding that the disciplinary measures are not to be interpreted as punishment from God but as formative correction from a loving father, who wishes to shape His child. Beyond the apparent meaning of the text, we are called to see the redemptive value of suffering in Christian life. For Christians, sufferings present an opportunity for growing in faith as they deepen our faith and form our character. Hence, Christians are called to strive even amid uncertainties and ambiguities. In other words, we are called to refine our faith through the pain of discipline and suffering. 

Today’s Gospel highlights the importance of purposeful living through the imagery of the narrow door. For the question ‘Will only a few be saved?’ Jesus responds that we must ‘strive,’ thus underlining the effort such a response needs. Building on the theme of the second reading, Jesus’ use of the word ‘striving’ calls for a deliberate and disciplined Christian living. Here, the word ‘striving’ has two specific meanings. At first, it points to the inadequacy of mere familiarity with Jesus. A true relationship with Jesus seeks to imitate his life, overcoming the temptation to remain lukewarm in our discipleship. Secondly, the word ‘striving’ implies that salvation is not a given for the chosen people. Thus, the word challenges complacency and assumed privilege of those who claim to be the ‘chosen people.’ In addition, by employing the word, Jesus also holds that salvation is not automatic and the privilege of salvation will be opened to all, inclusive of Gentiles, as long as they show humility and repentance, besides committing themselves to transformation. Thus, Jesus highlights the surprising reversals through the word ‘striving,’ and therefore, complacency or lukewarmness is out of the question for the one who wants to be the disciple of Christ. 

We have some key takeaways from today’s readings.

Impartiality of God’s Love: God does not show partiality but rewards the contrite of heart. Hence, sincerity of heart is essential for meaningful Christian living. Christian superiority is not in status but only in our moral and spiritual integrity. 

Pain of Discipline: The readings underline the fact that the pain of discipline is a precondition to earn the prize of salvation. For this reason, our tradition holds that suffering contains a spiritual value for Christians. Hence, the formative aspect of our suffering cannot be underestimated. 

God With Us: When Jesus invites us to strive daily, he invites us to do it by trusting in God’s grace and benevolence. While God intends to discipline us, He does not abandon us in our struggles. We are powered by God’s indwelling presence, which never fails. 

To conclude, we may recall the final lines of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses: ‘To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.’ 

Jesus means that Christian life should be marked by such ferventness and resilience that we ‘strive to enter the narrow gate’ with a firm trust in God’s accompanying grace. 

Let us pray for the grace. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar