Sunday, Aug. 24, is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mass readings: Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalm 117:1, 2; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 and Luke 13:22-30.

In the first reading the Lord sets forth his desire to save us, but we must understand that our “Yes” is essential to our salvation. 

The Gospel underscores this point and features the Lord’s lament that few will be saved and many lost. In the second reading (from the Letter to the Hebrews), Our Lord sets forth a plan whereby, having accepted Jesus, we can make a daily walk with him.

The first reading (from Isaiah) assures us that God wants to save us all. If there is resistance to heaven and being in relationship with God forever, it comes from our side, not God’s. 

I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory. …  (Isaiah 66:18).

God is not our adversary in salvation: He wants to save us, but he respects our choice.

 “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough” (Luke 13:22-30).

Many people today assume a kind of universalism that presumes that most, if not the vast majority, will go to heaven. But that is not what Scripture says. Indeed, Scripture says the exact opposite.

And though many today wish to consider the teaching on judgment and the existence of eternal hell untenable, this is largely due to the modern tendency to reduce God to an affirmer, an enricher, a facilitator, or merely one who takes care of us. Absent from these descriptions is the true essence of God as absolutely holy, just, pure and undefiled; and as the one who must ultimately purify his faithful, with their consent, to reflect his utter purity and glory. 

For now, let it be said that the reality of hell is taught clearly and consistently in Scripture as an urgent warning about the seriousness of our choices, which build to a final decision. No one loves you more than Jesus Christ, yet no one spoke of judgment and hell more than he did.

The fact of the matter is, many people aren’t interested in heaven; they reject many of its values, such as forgiveness, chastity and generosity. 

The second reading (from Hebrews) also spells out for us a way in which God, by his grace, works to draw us deeper into his saving love and path: a kind of “five-point plan” for remaining in God’s saving love:

1. Respect God’s Regimen.

My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord … 

2.  Reconsider When Reproved.

… or lose heart when reproved by him. 

3. Remember His Regard.

 … for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; 

4. Remain Resolved.

 Endure your trials as “discipline.” 

5. Receive the Reward.

 At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

Heaven is the kingdom of God in all its fullness with all of its values, such as forgiveness, chastity, generosity, love of the truth and love of one’s enemy — with God at the center. 

So take to heart the sober warning from the Lord: We follow Christ in all things — with our eyes on heaven.