26 June 2018 - narrow gate

Today's Readings (Audio)

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.

Jesus himself is the gate for the sheep (see John 10:9). Pasture is found through him. It is narrow and constricted because it is only found in him and in no one else. There is no other name given under heaven by which we can be saved (see Acts 4:12). To intentionally and with full knowledge choose a different way is to take the broad road to destruction. That is why "whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (see John 3:18).

There were many options for Israel which would have resulted in destruction at the hands of the Assyrian can Sennacherib. However King Hezekiah chose the narrow path to salvation.

Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, O LORD, are God.

Just as the Assyrian army breaks camp and abandons their assault on Israel so too does the LORD protect us from the forces of darkness. Even from death the LORD delivers us. 

I will shield and save this city for my own sake,
and for the sake of my servant David.

We need to value the pearls of the Kingdom. All the graces we are given must be well received. We can't go to mass casually. We can't ignore the Scriptures or the Sacraments.

Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

This does not mean we don't share the graces we are given. It means we share them when people are interested and want to receive them. We don't just throw them on the ground and hope for this best. The world only makes a mockery of graces it isn't ready to understand. This is why it can use the name of Jesus is a curse word. It explains the Da Vinci Code and so much of what passes for religious history on television. In this sense, the people who do such things aren't even to blame. We ourselves are guilty of the abuse the name of Jesus takes because we ourselves do not love that name nearly enough. The same for all the graces and truths of our faith. If we learn to value these pearls ourselves we will find, not swine, but other people interested to know just what we have, what treasure we found in the field of the LORD.

Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.