Gospel of the Day
Gospel according to Matthew 7:6, 12–14
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
‘So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
‘Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.’
‘So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
‘Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.’
The Gospel of the Lord
The Narrow Gate
Do we seek the Lord in our daily lives? We might say yes… and do we want to be good? Of course, we do not deny it and we agree. But when the Lord begins to ask more of us, we are no longer so sure we want to follow Him…
It sounds very beautiful to be Christian and to love our neighbour as ourselves, but if I have to love my spouse above my pride, then I think twice, because loving Christ is easy, but being like Christ is not. Saying that I am willing to give my life for others sounds very good, but when I actually have to give it in my marriage, it is not easy. Jesus sweat blood in Gethsemane because He saw the pain and suffering caused by our sins, and at times He asks us to help Him carry the weight of our spouse’s sins as a means of sanctification.
The path that leads to eternal life passes through the Cross. It is narrow and demanding, but it is beautiful because we do not walk it alone. At every moment we go hand in hand with the Lord, without forgetting the ultimate goal, the glory of the Resurrection.
It sounds very beautiful to be Christian and to love our neighbour as ourselves, but if I have to love my spouse above my pride, then I think twice, because loving Christ is easy, but being like Christ is not. Saying that I am willing to give my life for others sounds very good, but when I actually have to give it in my marriage, it is not easy. Jesus sweat blood in Gethsemane because He saw the pain and suffering caused by our sins, and at times He asks us to help Him carry the weight of our spouse’s sins as a means of sanctification.
The path that leads to eternal life passes through the Cross. It is narrow and demanding, but it is beautiful because we do not walk it alone. At every moment we go hand in hand with the Lord, without forgetting the ultimate goal, the glory of the Resurrection.
Brought down to Married Life:
Anna, in spiritual direction, opens her heart to her priest.
Anna: Father, I cannot go on with John, I am at my limit. I have been praying for him for years and there is no change. He is like a stone wall. I think all my efforts are useless. The Lord does not hear me. So many prayers, and nothing has changed.
Father: Come on, Anna, do not give up. That is exactly what the devil wants, for you to abandon hope. I suggest something… why do you not continue praying, but this time with a different attitude?
Anna: Father, what do you mean by changing my attitude?
Father: What have you been asking the Lord for, to change John? What I mean is that you ask the Lord to give you a heart like His, a heart that is understanding, merciful, a heart that knows how to love at all times, that is not impatient, a heart that does not focus on all of John’s faults, but rather on all that he does well…
Anna: Father, I have spent so many years asking the Lord to change John that what you are asking now feels like a huge change. I find it very difficult.
Father: Anna, being Christian does not mean changing others, but following Christ, and above all becoming another Christ. We must resemble Christ in the way we are and in the way we act. If we go to Mass and nothing changes in how we live afterwards, what is the point? We must be docile so that the Lord can transform our interior. Reflect on this and ask the Holy Spirit to give you light so you can see whether you have truly allowed Him to transform you.
Anna: Thank you, Father. I had never seen it that way. I realise I still have much to change, my judgments, my criteria. So I will ask the Lord for help, but first, if you do not mind, let us begin with a good confession.
Anna: Father, I cannot go on with John, I am at my limit. I have been praying for him for years and there is no change. He is like a stone wall. I think all my efforts are useless. The Lord does not hear me. So many prayers, and nothing has changed.
Father: Come on, Anna, do not give up. That is exactly what the devil wants, for you to abandon hope. I suggest something… why do you not continue praying, but this time with a different attitude?
Anna: Father, what do you mean by changing my attitude?
Father: What have you been asking the Lord for, to change John? What I mean is that you ask the Lord to give you a heart like His, a heart that is understanding, merciful, a heart that knows how to love at all times, that is not impatient, a heart that does not focus on all of John’s faults, but rather on all that he does well…
Anna: Father, I have spent so many years asking the Lord to change John that what you are asking now feels like a huge change. I find it very difficult.
Father: Anna, being Christian does not mean changing others, but following Christ, and above all becoming another Christ. We must resemble Christ in the way we are and in the way we act. If we go to Mass and nothing changes in how we live afterwards, what is the point? We must be docile so that the Lord can transform our interior. Reflect on this and ask the Holy Spirit to give you light so you can see whether you have truly allowed Him to transform you.
Anna: Thank you, Father. I had never seen it that way. I realise I still have much to change, my judgments, my criteria. So I will ask the Lord for help, but first, if you do not mind, let us begin with a good confession.
Mother,
Show us the path that leads to the narrow gate and guide us through self-giving as you did. Blessed and praised be the Lord.
Show us the path that leads to the narrow gate and guide us through self-giving as you did. Blessed and praised be the Lord.