Bottom line: Out of fear many have not opened the door that is Jesus. When he visits our country, Pope Benedict will renew the invitation.

The central image of today's Gospel is the Door. When a person stand in front of a door, he has two options: he can open it or not. If one does not open the door, he will never know what is on the other side. In a haunting poem, T.S. Eliot speaks about a "door we never opened."

Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened

We all can think of doors we did not open. Of course, sometimes it was for the better, but at other times we sense a great opportunity lost. In today's Gospel, Jesus invites us to open a door. It is the one door that really matters. He says, "I am the gate....I am the door." He promises that if we enter through him, we will have life, we "will be saved."

One of the great pains for me as a priest has been to meet people, brought up Catholic, who did not open that door. Perhaps someone never led them to it. Maybe they did not realize each person must open door for himself. Or perhaps they were afraid. They felt that if they opened the door, they would lose their freedom, they would enter into a confined, restricted world. But Jesus says clearly that if a person enters through him they "will come in and go out.." He does not want slaves - but that we become sons and daughters in him. And, ultimately, Jesus will not deny us any legitimate desire. He says that in him we will "find pasture." He will fulfill our needs and desires in a way we could never have imagined.*

This week many people will receive an invitation. As you know, our Holy Father will address the United Nations and visit Ground Zero - the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The media will cover his visit, including the Masses he will celebrate in New York City and Washington, D.C. I don't know what Pope Benedict will say to our country, but I do know this: His message will be the same as his earliest predecessor. We heard it today in the first reading:

Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins

Like St. Peter, Pope Benedict will call us to turn away from sin - those ways of thinking and acting that separate us from God and each other. And he will invite us to open the door - by prayer and the sacraments to enter a personal relationship with Jesus.

Jesus says, "I am the Door. Whoever enters through me will be saved."

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