In this issue:
Children’s story: Jesus described the gate to heaven
Trivia Question
Bible Accent: The kingdom of heaven
Saint for Today: St. Teresa Kolkata
Puzzle: Unscramble
Jesus traveled many places, and everywhere he went, he taught great crowds of people about God.
Jesus often used parables to teach important lessons. For example, through the parable of the rich fool, he taught that it was not right to become obsessed with storing up wealth on Earth. And he used the parable of the barren fig tree to show the people that they would perish if they did not repent of their sins.
In addition to teaching, Jesus also healed people who were sick or possessed by unclean spirits. No matter what the problem was, Jesus could cure it.
Jesus did all these things as he and the apostles passed through towns and villages on their way to Jerusalem.
During his travels, Jesus also was asked many questions. One time, a person wanted to know if only a few people would be saved.
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough,” Jesus answered.
He went on to describe how the master of the house would arise and lock his door. After that, no one would be allowed to enter.
“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 said. “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!'”
Afterward, Jesus said, the people outside the door would see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God. The people would wail and grind their teeth, realizing that they were not going to be allowed into the kingdom.
“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,” Jesus said. “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
Luke 12 &13
Q&A
1. How did Jesus describe the gate to God’s kingdom?
2. What would people be doing outside the master’s door?
Trivia Question
In Luke 13, what parables did Jesus use to describe God’s kingdom? (Hint: verses 18-21)
Answer: the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast
Bible Accent
There are several places in the Bible where Jesus described the kingdom of heaven.
For example, in Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a king giving a wedding feast for his son.
The king twice sent his servants to summon the invited guests, but they would not come, Jesus said.
Some of the guests killed the servants, so the king’s army destroyed the murderers and their city.
“The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come,” the king said.
He told his servants to go out into the streets and invite anyone they could find. The servants filled the hall with both good and bad people.
When the king entered the feast, he saw a man who was not dressed in a wedding garment. When the king asked why, the man was silent.
“Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth,” the king commanded. Not having a wedding garment was a symbol that the man had not repented.
“Many are invited, but few are chosen,” Jesus said about the kingdom of heaven.
Saint for Today: St. Teresa Kolkata
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born in 1910 in Albania. She took the name Teresa after joining the Sisters of Loreto in 1928.
St. Teresa was sent to Kolkata, India, where she taught children for 20 years. In 1946, she heard a call from God to care for the poorest of the poor.
She left her order and began to rescue sick and poor people from the slums of Kolkata. She soon was joined by many volunteers, whom she formed into her religious order, the Missionaries of Charity.
St. Teresa drew many people to God through her goodness and her ability to use media around the world to help spread the message of her work.
She died in 1997 and was canonized in 2016. We remember her on Sept. 7.
Puzzle
Unscramble the letters in each word and arrange them to form a quotation from the children’s story.
lal mrof oyu vileroesd em tredap
Answers: all, from, you, evildoers, me, depart
Depart from me, all you evildoers!
