“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 true” (Mt 7:13-14).

Jesus meets us where we are in our present state of life. He accepts us as we are at this very moment. At the same time, Jesus does not want us to just settle and to merely get by, surviving day by day. Instead, he encourages and guides us to be fully actualized. He calls us to perfection, to holiness, to be saints! He sees in us, as he did in his disciples and apostles, the promise that God has placed in our souls and knows the heights to which his Father calls us to ascend. We each have a unique gift or gifts to offer to the world, each and every one of us.

One way of interpreting entering the narrow gate is that we need to say no to everything. When, in fact, Jesus invites us to a no to anything or anyone that leads us away from fulfilling our promise and who we are as God’s beloved daughter or son. He invites us to say a firm no to those apparent goods that we find initially inviting but soon realize that they are empty promises, can burden us, weigh us down, and worse lead us to attachment, addiction, and enslavement.

To pass through the narrow gate, is a yes to that which is truly good, will bring us happiness, fulfillment, and authentic freedom. Each yes to God is a moment of growth and grace. It is also a death to supporting our false ego, turning the focus away from turning in upon ourselves, constricting, and instead receiving God’s love and his expanding our hearts and minds draws us to will the good of and accompany others.

Jesus will help us in seeking and discerning his will. Spending time in silence and prayer can often reveal the sources of our worry, anxiety, or fear; pride, judgment, or prejudice; sinful actions, harmful habits, and/or addictions. We need not deny or run from them. Instead, acknowledge whatever arises with Jesus, and then allow him to provide healing and transformation. Jesus offers us a clearer vision so that we can choose with more freedom. This will not be a one-time, done now for all activity, but a daily, disciplined commitment and practice of discernment and examination of our conscience.

We need to continually welcome the Holy Spirit and he will give us the courage to discern between apparent and authentic goods. A good meditation is to imagine placing our hand in Jesus’ hand as if we were a small child and allow him to lead us through the narrow gate. As we go through all that is not of him, all the excess that we carry, will fall away, and in passing through we come face to face with who we always have been, a beloved daughter or son of our loving God and Father. What has fallen away, let us resist picking up again.

———————————————————————-

Photo: As we grow closer to Jesus, as we heal, as we are restored and redeemed, we return to and experience our original innocence.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, June 23 2026