Bishop Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the Gospel of this Sunday, August 24, 2025, entitled:  “They will come from the east and the west and will participate in the banquet of the Kingdom of God.”

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Isaiah 66:18-21:  “They will bring your brothers from all countries.”

Psalm 116:  “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”

Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13:  “The Lord disciplines those he loves.”

Luke 13:22-30:  “They will come from the east and the west and will take their place at the banquet in the Kingdom of God.”

If we believed the advertising that surrounds us, we would think the world is easy. That everything can be achieved effortlessly, and that happiness consists of doing almost nothing and having almost everything. Everything is easy, without the greatest sacrifice, everything is external and superficial. And it would seem that, by dint of hearing it, we assimilate it, and we already dread serious commitment, continuous effort, and a deep interior life. But Jesus presents us with a very different reality. Precisely as He is on His way to Jerusalem, where He will be crucified, where He will give His life, He warns us not to delude ourselves into the illusion of a comfortable, self-directed religion. To those Jews who worriedly ask Him about the number of those who are saved, Jesus answers not about the number, but about how they are saved. He warns that salvation is not something mechanical that is obtained automatically. It is not enough to be saved simply by belonging to a certain people, a certain race, a certain tradition, or an institution, even if it were the chosen people from which the Savior comes: “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets… I do not know where you are from,”  we hear in Luke’s account. It is evident that those speaking and claiming privileges are Jews; but we cannot naively think that Jesus is referring exclusively to the Jews of his time. We must make Luke’s account relevant: we are now in a Church context; here we hear Christians presenting the same kinds of claims: “We prophesied in your name, you performed miracles,” “We lit a candle for you,” “I once attended Mass,” “We have an aunt who is a nun” … but the Lord’s response is the same:  “I do not know you, depart from me!” Therefore, to be saved, the simple fact of having known Jesus and belonging to the Church is not enough; much more is needed: commitment, dedication, and fidelity.

Today’s Gospel presents two realities that give us a sense of the Kingdom: true happiness and perfect communion are presented around a table, in the joy of a meal, in the abundance of a banquet. The joy of being together leads us to partake of a common meal, to share what we truly are. The symbol of the Kingdom appears as a banquet, a place of encounter and communion. The banquet is a way of expressing that the Kingdom is fullness, satisfaction, feasting, joy, solidarity, and brotherhood. It is offered to us; we are invited, but we must enter. It is a gift that must be welcomed. This is quite contrary to what our world invites us to today: selfishness, solitary pleasure, individual abundance that leaves our brothers and sisters in poverty and misery. It is not a fast food meal, where the stomach is filled, but the spirit is left empty because we have lived selfishly.

Invitation and commitment, gift and service, are the two poles around which the reality of the Kingdom moves. Belonging to the People of God is not a privilege for ourselves, but a service to others. It is a universal invitation. The “passes” for entry to this banquet are not based on privileges, but on the response to the inner experience of Jesus’ message. The selection for entry through the narrow door of the banquet will not consist of titles and appearances, but rather the choice of those who have responded sincerely and practiced justice. Only when one’s heart has been opened to others can one fully participate in the Kingdom. This is the complete opposite of what is happening in our times: a few eat abundantly and monopolize all the goods, while millions remain outside eating crumbs.

It is necessary to embrace the message of the Kingdom and live its profound demands for conversion. Jesus imagines a crowd gathered in front of a narrow door, but it’s not a matter of pushing and shoving others to get in. An effort is required to enter; but it doesn’t consist of the narrow rigor of the Pharisees, which remains superficial: Jesus calls for a radical conversion, inviting us to change our hearts and strive to live a new life, giving absolute primacy to God and to our brothers and sisters. This conversion is not theoretical, but a decision that changes our way of acting and demands a new conduct and a new way of relating to God, to things, and to our brothers and sisters.

Perhaps in the Church, without realizing it, we have fostered an attitude that seeks to win the Kingdom with a sure path of prayers, indulgences, and privileges. We have given the impression of magically winning heaven. It is time to return to the root of the Gospel: full acceptance of Jesus and his way. It is not enough to belong to the People of God through Baptism and perform a few practices. It is not enough to have heard the Word or even to have taught it; it requires a consistent witness and a heart of mercy; it requires allowing ourselves to be penetrated by the Spirit of Jesus and transforming our entire lives from within. It requires recognizing all men and women as brothers and sisters and sharing life, service, and goods with them as Jesus did.

The door to the Kingdom of Heaven is the hearts of the poor. Have we entered their hearts? Have the poor entered ours?

Good Father, You want all to be saved and to share in the banquet of the fullness of life. Grant that we may open the doors of our hearts to our brothers and sisters, share the gifts You have given us, and make our world a fraternal sign of the eternal Kingdom. Amen.