Gospel in Art: Try your best to enter by the narrow door

The Cross, the Narrow Way, by David Hayward, 2002, © David Hayward, all rights reserved

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 21 August 2022
Luke 13:22-30

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, 'Sir, will there be only a few saved?' He said to them, 'Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.

'Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, "Lord, open to us" but he will answer, "I do not know where you come from." Then you will find yourself saying, "We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets" but he will reply, "I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!"

'Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

'Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.'

Reflection on the gouache

'Try your best to enter by the narrow door', says Jesus in today's reading. The drawing here today shows a narrow opening, in the form a cross… For the artist the only way to get through the 'narrow door' that Jesus mentions is through His cross. This is a simple but yet very effective drawing. We are all far from perfect, so every day we have to get up and try and do better than the day before. A Christian life is all about starting over again each day, with renewed freshness, to improve our lives, and that is possible only by realising that to achieve this, we have to overcome obstacles and negotiate difficult times, through the Cross.

All the Gospel readings make clear that our destiny depends on the outcome of our encounter with Christ and whether we decide to follow Him. He is the only way, the only path by which we will be saved. That salvation will depend on whether or not we 'know' Jesus or desire to want to know him. Simply claiming to have spent time with him or just saying 'Lord, Lord' won't count. We need to get to know him, talk to him, enjoy his company, confide in him, trust him, etc… He simply needs to become our very best friend.

Every artist needs to work hard at fine-tuning his or her craft; every athlete must train for years intensely to excel in his or her sport ; every musician needs to practise over and over every day to produce the most magnificent sounds… so must we have the same dedication in our spiritual lives as we try to perfect our relationship with Christ.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-13-22-30-2022/