Commenting on the gospel of the “narrow door” (Lk 13,22-30), Pope Leo XIV invited not to reduce faith to words or rites, but to live it as a choice of love and justice. “The Lord does not want a cult separated from life – he said – but a faith that embraces all the existence, who is committed to good and risks in love, as Jesus did by crossing the narrow door of the cross”.
After Angelus, the Pope addressed his thoughts to Mozambique, where the population of Cabo Delgado “continues to suffer insecurity and violence”, hoping that peace and security restore themselves. An appeal also for Ukraine, on the day of “world prayer” for the country: “We ask the Lord to donate peace to this tormented people”. Below is the full text of the seue words.
At the center of the Gospel of today (LC 13,22-30) we find the image of the “narrow door”, used by Jesus to respond to a man who asks him if few are saved; Jesus says: «Strene to enter the narrow door because many, me I tell you, they will try to enter, but they will not succeed »(v. 24).
At first glance, this image arises in us some questions: if God is the father of love and mercy, who always remains with open arms to welcome us, why does Jesus say that the door of salvation is narrow?
Of course, the Lord does not want to discourage us. His words, on the other hand, serve above all to shake the presumption of those who think they are already saved, of those who practice religion and, therefore, already feel in place. In reality, they have not understood that it is not enough to perform religious acts if they do not transform the heart: the Lord does not want a cult separated from life and does not like sacrifices and prayers if they do not lead us to live love towards brothers and practice justice. For this reason, when they present themselves in front of the Lord, boasting that they have eaten and drank with him and that they have listened to his teachings, they will feel answered: «You, I don’t know where you are. Get away from me, you all injustice operators! “ (v. 27).
Brothers and sisters, the provocation that comes from today’s Gospel is beautiful: while sometimes we happen to judge who is far from faith, Jesus puts in crisis “the safety of believers”. In fact, he tells us that it is not enough to profess the faith with words, eat and drink with him by celebrating the Eucharist or knowing the Christian teachings well. Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes a criterion for our choices, when it makes us women and men who commit themselves to good and risk in love just as Jesus did; He did not choose the easy way to success or power but, in order to save us, he loved us until he crosses the “narrow door” of the cross. He is the measure of our faith, he is the door that we must cross to be saved (cf. Jn 10,9), living its own love and becoming, with our life, operators of justice and peace.
Sometimes, this means making tiring and unpopular choices, fighting against one’s selfishness and spending yourself for others, persevering the good where the logic of evil seem to prevail, and so on. But, passing this threshold, we will discover that life opens in front of us in a new way, and, since now, we will enter the wide heart of God and in the joy of the eternal party that he has prepared for us.
We invoke the Virgin Mary, so that we help us cross the “narrow door” of the Gospel with courage, so that we can open up with joy to the width of the love of God the Father.
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After the angelus
Dear brothers and sisters!
I express my closeness to the population of Cabo Delgado, in Mozambique, the victim of a situation of insecurity and violence that continues to cause deaths and displaced people. While I appeal not to forget these brothers and sisters of ours, I invite you to pray for them and I express the hope that the efforts of the country managers will be able to restore security and peace in that territory.
Last Friday, August 22, we accompanied the brothers and sisters who suffer from our prayer and fasting because of the wars. Today we join our Ukrainian brothers who, with the spiritual initiative “World Prayer for Ukraine”ask that the Lord give peace to their battered country.
I greet all of you, faithful of Rome and pilgrims from various countries, in particular those of Karaganda, in Kazakhstan, Budapest and the community of the Pontifical North American College. I am pleased to welcome Gozzano’s music band and the parish groups of Bellagio, Vidigulfo, Carbonia, Corlo and Val Cavallina. I also greet the faithful who came by bicycle from Rovato and Manerbio, and the group of Via Lucis itinerant.
I wish you all a good Sunday.
