Strength to reach the narrow gate

Good News Reflection
Wednesday of the 30th Week of Ordinary Time
October 27, 2010

Today's Saint: Frumentius
Pray for strength when plans change:
http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/Frumentius.htm

Today's Readings:
Eph 6:1-9
Ps 145:10-14
Luke 13:22-30
http://www.usccb.org/nab/102710.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_10_27.mp3

Strength to reach the narrow gate

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus says that some "will not be strong enough" to enter the narrow gate into heaven, and so our worry is: Will my faith weaken between now and the day I die?

Yes, it's likely that it will. But weak faith is not what keeps us from entering heaven. Faith is a gift we received from the Holy Spirit when we were baptized. It's always strong enough, because the Holy Spirit is strong enough.

Those who find a locked door at the entrance to heaven are weak – very weak – in their desire to do God's will and to love as he loves. They want to be their own god. They don't want to live for eternity under the authority of God who is completely holy and completing loving.

It takes effort – spiritual strength – to submit to God's will, especially when our will contradicts his. Selfish desires pull us toward sin, and spiritual strength is needed to resist that pull. While the world floats lazily downstream in the currents of self-serving whims and immoral trends, we have to swim against the tide if we want to remain with Jesus and follow him to heaven.

Only those who rely on the Lord for strength can swim upstream successfully. This requires daily determination. If we stop and rest, if we take any sort of break from spiritual growth and repentance from sin, we get caught in the downstream currents.

Notice that Jesus did not say that few are strong and most are too weak to enter through the narrow gate. He never answered the question, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Instead, he pointed the listeners toward the narrow gate. The reason the gate is narrow is not because it's used only rarely. Rather, it's because there are many ways to reach hell but only one path into heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way...."

Are you determined to follow Jesus by imitating all of his holy, loving ways? Then you WILL enter heaven, because that's where he's leading you. Even when you weaken, God knows the true desires of your heart. If you want to spend eternity with him, you will. If you want Jesus to show you the way, he will.

We don't need to be perfect to get into heaven; we only need to desire forgiveness for our sins and to seek God's help in being holy.

© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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