Twelfth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

If we want to find life, then we will need to find the constricted road and enter into Heaven through the narrow gate. This is the image Jesus leaves us with in today’s gospel and it is one we should always keep in mind. It is easy to be lukewarm, to sin, and to be apathetic. It is much harder to be consistently good and stay on the path of love that Jesus trod before us. He gives us the golden rules to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths, and to love our neighbors as He loves us. And it is between these two spiritual guideposts that we find the narrow path. If we stray but a little from either commandment we get lost and find ourselves on the wide road to destruction. Thankfully, if we do stray, we can always return to the path through the sacrament of reconciliation.

If the narrow road is to be found between our love of God and neighbor, then how are we fairing? Do we love God as we ought to? What about our neighbors?

O Lord, lead us along your constricted road and through your narrow gate to heaven.

 Amen.