1st Reading – Isaiah 66:18-21
Thus says the LORD:
I know their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
I will set a sign among them;
from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan,
to the distant coastlands
that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations
as an offering to the LORD,
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD,
just as the Israelites bring their offering
to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.
Our first reading is from the final chapter of Isaiah. In it, the prophet proclaims God’s plan to gather people from every nation and language to witness his glory.
Thus says the LORD:
This prophetic formula signals divine authority. The message is not the prophet’s own insight but God’s direct word, carrying the weight of covenant truth.
In Isaiah, this phrase often introduces a vision of God’s saving plan that transcends Israel’s borders, inviting the hearer to receive it as a revelation from the Lord of all nations.
I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language;
God’s knowledge is complete: nothing in human action or intention is hidden from him (cf. Psalm 139:1-4; Hebrews 4:13). Here, this omniscience applies to all peoples, not just Israel. God sees both deeds and inner motives, and this knowledge becomes the basis for his universal gathering. His judgment and mercy are perfectly informed, ensuring that his plan of salvation is both just and all-encompassing.
they shall come and see my glory.
God’s glory, once revealed, draws the nations in pilgrimage to Jerusalem, echoing Isaiah 40:5: “The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
This includes not only Israelites returning home from the Diaspora but also pagans (gôyim) from surrounding lands.
I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
From this gathered people, God will send messengers to proclaim his glory to the ends of the earth.
to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
This list of nations comes from Genesis 10, representing the known world: Spain, Africa, regions near the Black Sea, and Greek islands.
These distant peoples were known for trade and warfare, but had never heard of the God of Israel.
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
This prophetic vision is surprising, because Israel was not a nation that engaged in much missionary activity. Historically focused inward for survival, Israel is now depicted as a missionary people, announcing God’s glory universally.
They shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD,
These pilgrims from foreign nations will bring with them the Jews who have been living in exile in their lands.
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
This shows the inclusive scope of the people being gathered: warriors typically travel on horseback, the wealthy in chariots, women are carried on carts, the poor ride mules, and merchants come on dromedaries (camels).
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Israel, with its deep concern for ritual purity, had long maintained strict boundaries between clean and unclean, especially regarding foreigners. Yet in this prophetic vision, those very outsiders are not only welcomed, they become participants in the sacred act of offering.
This is truly an extraordinary picture.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.
Perhaps the most amazing feature of this passage is the suggestion that God may choose priests and Levites from beyond the traditional Israelite line — something unthinkable under the old covenant’s purity laws.
2nd Reading – Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Brothers and sisters,
You have 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;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”
Endure your trials as “discipline”;
God treats you as sons.
For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
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.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
In our second reading, believers are encouraged to see trials and hardships as a form of the Lord’s loving discipline, shaping us for holiness and peace.
Brothers and sisters, you have 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; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.”
The recipients of the letter to the Hebrews seem to have been experiencing some kind of hardship with an unclear cause or purpose.
Rather than offering a direct explanation, the author reframes their suffering through the lens of God’s fatherly care by quoting Proverbs 3:11-12.
Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
The author assures them that what feels like aimless suffering is in fact paideía (“discipline”) — a loving process of formation.
As adopted children of God (cf. Romans 8:15), believers can see their trials as purposeful — not signs of abandonment, but evidence of God’s care, preparing them for eternal life.
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.
Like an athlete undergoing strenuous training (gymnázō), we may feel the strain now, but it yields “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” — a life aligned with God’s will.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.
Drawing on both Wisdom imagery and athletic metaphor, the author urges perseverance and moral clarity. A straight path prevents spiritual stumbling and fosters healing — showing that God’s discipline is ultimately restorative.
Gospel – Luke 13:22-30
Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“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.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”
For the past several weeks of Ordinary Time, we have been traveling with Jesus on his determined journey to Jerusalem, which began when he “set his face” toward the city (Luke 9:51). Along the way, Jesus offers what are often called his Kingdom teachings — revealing the nature of God’s reign, who truly belongs, and what it takes to enter. Through parables, healings, and personal encounters, Jesus turns worldly priorities upside down, challenging his listeners to see with the eyes of faith.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus sharpens the challenge, urging his followers to “strive to enter through the narrow gate,” a call to wholehearted commitment and readiness for the Kingdom.
Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to fulfill his mission through his passion and death.
Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
In Jesus’ time, opinions varied among Jews about how many would be saved.
In much of the Old Testament, “salvation” (yeshua) is about deliverance in this life — God rescuing his people from enemies, restoring them from exile, protecting them from famine or plague, or bringing them peace and prosperity.
By the time of Jesus, the idea still largely meant being part of God’s faithful covenant people and sharing in the blessings of the age to come when the Messiah would restore Israel.
He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
Notice that Jesus does not answer the question that was asked. Rather than speculate on numbers, he answers the real question, which is “How can I be saved?”
The word used here for “strive” (agōnízomai) reflects the determined effort of an athlete in competition. Salvation is a gift of grace, but it also requires effort.
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.
This is not about God excluding people arbitrarily, but about the danger of half-hearted discipleship.
The narrow gate is open to all, yet it requires wholehearted commitment, for the task before them is not an easy one.
“A Christian’s struggle must be unceasing, for interior life consists in beginning and beginning again. This prevents us from proudly thinking that we are perfect already.” (Saint Josemaría Escrivá, Christ Is Passing By, 75).
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
Jesus then tells a story to illustrate how difficult it will be for some to be saved, using the familiar analogy of a great banquet.
Once the master locks the door, latecomers — those slow to respond — are left outside.
And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
The late guests presume that casual association with the master (i.e., Jesus), rather than genuine commitment, is adequate.
Rather than suggest that salvation is only open to a few, this story shows that some do not make the necessary effort to enter the banquet hall.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.
Those who expected to be admitted are turned away.
They weep in disappointment and gnash their teeth in envy as they see Abraham and others in the kingdom while they remain excluded.
And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
Adding to their dismay, some who are looked down on as outsiders will be brought in to the festivities while they remain outside.
Generally speaking, the Jewish people regarded themselves as the sole beneficiaries of the messianic promises made by the prophets, but Jesus proclaims that salvation is open to everyone.
The people from east, west, north, and south represent this universality, echoing our first reading, where God brings people from all the nations to the holy mountain of Jerusalem for covenantal worship.
For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Luke underscores a familiar theme in his Gospel: the reign of God overturns expectations.
There are a number of shocking revelations to take in here, including:
- Some who seemed secure will be left out, while those considered outsiders will be welcomed
- Salvation is not promised exclusively to one group
- There will be surprise at who is saved and who is not
- Those welcomed include outcasts, those left outside include religious elites
Entry into the kingdom of God depends not on privilege or heritage, but on humble, persevering response to God’s grace.
Connections and Themes
Universal salvation. The readings from Isaiah and Luke are astounding in their inclusivity, showing that God’s saving grace is unbounded. It reaches out to those whom the People of God may not only distrust but sometimes even despise. From their (or our!) point of view, only those who have been faithful deserve salvation. Only those who belong to the right religious groups, who believe the correct religious doctrines, and who follow an approved way of life should be gathered into the company of the saved.
There is something dangerous about being smugly convinced of one’s own salvation. Usually when this is the case, it is because we ourselves have followed the rules. They are important rules to be sure, but they are rules nonetheless. When we are so sure of ourselves, we can easily fall into the error of being as sure of the moral failures of others as well. The gospel warns us against such judgment. Our claim of knowing the Lord is not adequate for entrance into the banquet hall, and salvation comes from God — not from anything we might have done. Our entrance into the banquet is a free gift from God, and anyone who strives to receive it as freely given will be welcomed.
The gathering. In the first reading, God sends missionaries to proclaim his glory to those who have never heard of him. In response, people from every corner of the earth are drawn in, bringing offerings and even becoming ministers in God’s house.
Today, that command is directed to us. We are the ones who are being sent out to bring others to God. Every eucharistic liturgy ends with a commission to go forth, carrying Christ’s light into the world, to which we (perhaps unthinkingly) respond: “Thanks be to God!” The readings for today shake us awake to this responsibility. Our lives are meant to be living invitations to the Kingdom.
Striving for the kingdom. In the gospel reading, Jesus urges his listeners to “strive to enter through the narrow gate.” This is not a casual suggestion, but a call to wholehearted effort. The narrow gate is not entered by drifting through life or resting on past credentials — it requires perseverance, focus, and the willingness to let God reshape our lives.
Our second reading reminds us that striving often takes the form of enduring God’s loving discipline. Just as an athlete trains hard to strengthen muscles, we allow God to strengthen our faith through trials, corrections, and challenges. This discipline is not punishment, but preparation — shaping us into people who can walk the hard, holy path that leads to life.
Striving for the kingdom means more than avoiding sin; it means actively pursuing God, cooperating with his grace, and living in a way that draws others toward Him. It is the daily choice to press on in prayer, mercy, and faithfulness — even when it is difficult. For the gate is narrow, but the life beyond it is wide with the joy of God’s eternal welcome.
Sunday Readings 