THE NARROW DOOR: A GIFT?
In this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading (21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C), we will hear that Jesus, responding to the question of whether only a few are saved, says the following: «Try to come in through the narrow door. Many, I tell you, will try to enter and be unable» (Luke 13:24).
At first, this sentence may seem like bad news to us. Couldn’t God have designed a much wider gate, one through which we could all pass easily? Indeed, don’t we tire of preaching that God is pure hospitality, that precisely one of the emphases of Jesus’ message was the mercy of the Father, who opens his arms wide to the whole world? How can we reconcile this idea with the image of the narrow door?
It seems to me that here Jesus is underscoring something fundamental, something we should never forget. That the spiritual life requires effort. Is the Gospel good news, and a path to fulfillment and happiness? Absolutely. Does it require sacrifice, deep inner work, and a firm will to overcome our most selfish tendencies and our pride? Yes, that is also true.
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