Church of the
Annunciation

“Threshold” is a piece of wood or stone beneath the door frame. It can refer to a point or place of beginning. In our Gospel today, someone asks Jesus: “If only a few are saved?” Salvation is our wellbeing in God. Jesus does not answer the question directly but tells his listeners to strive to pass through the narrow gate now for when the master gets up to lock the door it will be too late. Salvation is a gift from God that we receive but nevertheless we still must strive for. Salvation is a gift but not a giveaway. The keys to open the poor are fidelity, integrity and love of neighbor. I count three threshold moments this weekend: visiting two women in the local hospitals who are very sick; marrying a couple on Saturday; and baptizing two babies on Sunday. All three are threshold moments where God draws near and we are invited to savor God’s salvation. We are afforded an opportunity to pass through the narrow gate, to open the door. May we be given the wisdom to discern those critical moments when/where we encounter Jesus Christ and experience God’s salvation in him. What is precious and offered to all can be lost.