Fourth Sunday of Easter

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

There is only one way into heaven and that is through the Divine Gateway of Jesus Christ. It is through his shepherding teachings that he shows us the true way to eternal life. There are no other paths to paradise, except those which go through Christ. The road to ruin is wide and full of thieves, stealing, slaughtering, and destroying poor souls. However, God will protect us from the dangers of the world if we are willing to listen to His Voice and follow Jesus along the narrow and righteous trail to heaven. He shall feed us with his Body and pour out his Blood for us so we might be sustained through our trials and have more abundant lives with him.

Have we accepted Jesus as our Shepherd? Do we listen to his voice? Do we follow him to where we need to be?

O Lord, help us to live our lives more abundantly in, through, and with you.

Amen.

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.

Staying on the right path is a constant struggle in our lives. We are continually tempted toward sin and selfishness and away from virtue and self-sacrifice. If we are not careful, we can be led astray by our passions or indifference and find ourselves on the wide road to destruction. Jesus never told us that his Way would be easy to follow. But we should spend every moment trying to find and stay on the narrow path to God because it is the only road to eternal life. This is why we should make sure our footsteps are lit by the lights of faith, hope, and love. Without them we are lost, but with them we will be able to walk securely and live a life worthy of passing through the heavenly gates.

What are the temptations, sins, and distractions that are leading us toward the wide road of destruction? How can we live more virtuous and selfless lives? In what ways can we help others stay upon the narrow path to heaven?

O Lord, lead us to your heavenly gates and life everlasting with you.

Amen.

The Fourth Monday of Easter

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

Jesus is our gateway to heaven and eternal life. It is through following his teachings and example that we can enter paradise and experience the glorious and awe-inspiring presence of the Holy Trinity. It is through his Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection that we are given the opportunity to be saved and become holy people. He offers us spiritual nourishment through the sacraments and constant protection from the evil influences in our lives which try to lead us astray, steal our souls, and lead us to the fires of Hell. He is the source, center, and summit of our lives and when we accept his love, mercy, and grace, we are rewarded with more fruitful lives. All we have to do is to seek out the truth, knock at the door of God’s Divine Mercy, and ask for His sanctifying grace to pour into our hearts.

Where are our lives leading us? Are we seeking truth, forgiveness, and holiness? Are we willing to follow the narrow path to heaven?

O Lord, help us to live more abundantly.

Amen.

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.

Fourth Monday of Easter

“Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Jesus came to give us abundant life and it is up to us to follow him through his open gateway or to let ourselves be stolen and slaughtered by the thief. So how do we enter into the abundant life Jesus promises us? We do so by imitating Christ and becoming meek and mild like the lamb in his parable. When we humble ourselves and follow Jesus’ lead, we are protected and provided for by God. We are saved and our souls grow in faith and when the time of harvest comes we yield much to the shearer’s blade.

How can we do a better job of following Christ? What can we do to keep the thief of souls away from us? Are we as meek, mild and humble as we should be?

O Lord, lead us through your gate to abundant life.

Amen.