August 24, 2025

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Discipline

Nelson Abreu

When we hear the word discipline, many of us groan a little. It brings back memories of gym class push-ups, parents saying “no,” or maybe a priest giving us penance that didn’t sound too fun. Yet today’s reading from Hebrews reminds us: “Do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines.”
 
God’s discipline isn’t punishment—it’s love in action. 
 
Let me say that again! God’s discipline isn’t punishment—it’s love in action. 
 
Just as parents correct their children not because they enjoy saying “no,” but because they want their children to grow and be good people, with good values and integrity, so too God corrects us because He loves us and wants us to be with him always. Because you all know, left to ourselves, we could be one hot mess.
 
Now Monsignor, what I am about to say is shocking so I do not want you to hear this—I need you to put your earmuffs on.  
 
What I am about to tell you all is going to very, very hard to believe, but as I stand here today, an earthy angel of a man…it was not so growing up.  
 
You see, as I was growing up, let’s say, I was a little mischievous and needed a lot of discipline.  For Instance: One day getting ready for school I said something I shouldn’t have said to my Puerto Rican mother. That was a huge mistake because I had forgotten, but was quickly reminded, my mother was Mohammed Ali’s sparring partner.  

You see, as the words came out of my mouth, I immediately felt a sharp pain in my nose. In true ninja form, my mother smacked me, and blood began gushing from my nose. At that point, I was seeing stars, in fact, and speaking directly to Jesus.  
 
Then I was called back to earth as my mother gave me a napkin and sent me to school. When my friends at the bus stop saw me, they asked what happened. At that moment I knew I had to tell them the truth—that I was jumped by three boys on the way to the bus stop….
 
OK earmuffs off.
 
But it was that discipline, from my loving parents, that molded me into the man I am today.
 
Now Saint Thomas Aquinas once said: “The highest manifestation of divine mercy is to turn sinners back to the path of justice.” Discipline, then, is mercy. It redirects us toward the good, toward holiness, toward the life we were created for.
 
Of course, discipline doesn’t feel good at first. Hebrews is honest about that: “All discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” 
 
Nobody celebrates the first day they quit smoking, start exercising, or finally say “no” to that second dessert. But the fruit of discipline shows up later—clearer lungs, stronger bodies, healthier hearts. God’s discipline works the same way: pruning us now, so our souls can bear fruit later.
 
And this message is so relevant in today’s culture. We live in an age of instant gratification—same -day delivery, fast food, endless texting and scrolling. Everything  tells us that self-denial is unnecessary, even foolish. But discipline is what anchors us. It gives us the backbone to pray when we’re tired, to forgive when it’s hard, to remain faithful when temptation is whispering.
 
Discipline is not about becoming rigid or joyless though. It’s about training our hearts in freedom. The Holy Spirit strengthens our “drooping hands and weak knees,” as Hebrews says, and makes our paths straight. God’s discipline doesn’t just correct—it transforms.
 
And this leads us to today’s Gospel from Luke, where Jesus says: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many will attempt but will not be strong enough.” The narrow gate is not about fitting through with perfect bodies—it’s about fitting through with disciplined souls.
 
And imagine trying to walk through a narrow doorway carrying every worldly distraction: grudges, greed, gossip, and endless TikTok reels. You’re going to get stuck! Discipline is what teaches us to set things down, to travel light, so we can pass through the narrow gate.
 
So let us ask ourselves: what baggage am I trying to drag through the narrow gate? Resentment? Greed? Indifference? Anger? Envy? Pride? If we begin to let it go, we’ll find the gate isn’t scary or narrow at all.
 
Discipline may sting in the moment, as my nose will attest, but it’s our training ground. Every act of prayer, fasting, forgiveness, patience, and love is a kind of spiritual workout.
 
And like training in the gym, the results don’t show overnight—but strength builds with practice. God’s discipline prepares us so that when we reach the narrow gate, we are strong enough to walk through, and joyful enough to recognize it as the entrance to our true eternal home.
 
So today, let’s keep our eyes on Christ, who invites us through the narrow gate—not to punish us, but to lead us into the joy of eternal life with Him. Let’s not resent the discipline of God. Let’s embrace it—even with a little humor—because it proves that He loves us too much to leave us as we are.
 
With His grace, discipline is not a burden but a gift – a blessing. And if we remain faithful, it will be the very thing that leads us through the narrow gate and into the Kingdom of God.
 
May God Bless you all today and always.
Amen.

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time – C Homily 

Deacon Kevin O'Boyle

Good morning:
 
Our readings this morning might seem a bit difficult and hard to fit to practical use. But if we look at them together, particularly reflecting on the Gospel message, I think we can find some genuine assistance in understanding not only the readings themselves, but also some assistance they give in understanding one of the big questions we always seem to ask when studying our faith. That is—Who is going to get to the Kingdom of God? And related to that question, what do we have to do to be part of that group? Let’s begin by reviewing a bit about each of readings.
 
Our first reading comes from the last chapter of Isaiah. While it is packed with strange sounding geographic names, what we can see plainly is the concept of people moving about. In short, it is a time of pilgrimage among peoples and nations the Lord knows. The Lord is drawing them together to His Holy Mountain in Jerusalem. Not only this, but there is a prophetic message here as well. The ranks of priests and Levites, traditionally limited to certain families, are about to be expanded. So, our first reading tells of a time, prompted by the will and presence of the Lord, when peoples shall be brought back to God’s holy place. It is a time of return for Jews displaced due to economic and political pressures to return to the temple—the proper place of worship.
 
Our second reading is from the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews. We hear repeated use of the word “discipline.” It gives a sense that the people are being punished for straying from the path set out for them. But a more careful reading, and reference back to Proverbs which is quoted in the second line of the reading, reminds us that God is a loving Father. What father does not correct his children? How else can He draw them to right paths? So, the disciplines the children bear, not unlike the disciplines we all bear from time to time, are not mere punishments. They are instead callings to right paths. The later parts of the reading call on those being disciplined to straighten up and be healed by the message they are receiving. The discipline, while unpleasant, should be viewed as the actions of a loving parent seeking to teach His children the right path.
 
As usual, our Gospel message today captures the message of all three readings today for us when it asks the question, “Lord, will only a few people be saved.” The conversation then dissolves into a variety of themes, which will incorporate both the idea of people moving (as they try, for example, to enter by the wide or narrow gates) or people being disciplined, as they are taught, for example, the difference between being a mere acquaintance of Jesus who ate with Him, or one who truly embraced His message.  
 
The first theme was a discussion about trying to enter the Kingdom through a wide or narrow gate. This was, like the first reading, the story of a pilgrimage back to Jerusalem. While present in our Gospel reading from Luke, the differences between the wide or narrow gates are better explained in Matthew Chapter 7. Entering by the wider gate might appear easier, but the result is destruction, whereas entry by the narrow gate while harder leads to life. Thus, our Gospel points out we should try to enter by the narrower gate—but it is harder and not all will be up to the task. The next theme is the idea of people who ate and drank with Jesus calling on Him to let them into the Kingdom, but, as I mentioned earlier, they were mere acquaintances of the Lord, not ones who had accepted his teachings. Thus, they were not admitted into the Kingdom and the Lord will not acknowledge them,
 
Thus, people came from all directions to enter the Kingdom of God, but the first will be last and the last will be first.  
 
So how does this help us today? As in every time, there are many people coming and seeking entry to the Kingdom. Just as the pilgrimages we saw in the first reading and Gospel, we see people today in pilgrimage toward the Kingdom—that is where people want to go. But we must look at the cautions taught by our readings. First, we must accept the fact that there may be disciplines along the way. But we should recognize these for what they are—methods God uses to train us—to bring us the proper way. And we must follow the teachings these disciplines help to clarify.  
 
Next, we must be careful not to fall for “easy” ways to the Kingdom. Trying to enter by the wider gates, while looking easier, often end in death or destruction. We should seek always to enter by the narrower gate and build strength so that we will survive that test.
 
So, our readings today, taken as a whole, teach us how we might be one of those who enter the Kingdom. It is never an easy path, but is one, through God’s grace, which is open to each of us, if we are willing to follow the disciplines and paths He lays out for us. And that is something to think about this week. God Bless.