Jesus put in his road map for his followers almost the direct opposite what our society holds up as goals to be achieved. It wants us to strive for success and be winners, a future which comes with many possessions, consumption of pleasures, and power over others. Jesus wants us to enter his kingdom through the narrow gate with His road map the beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the merciful, blessed the peacemakers, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who work for justice.” There the reward will be great.
How can we concentrate on Jesus’ way while living in a society that contradicts what Jesus is promoting? Jesus wants us to enter his kingdom through the narrow gate. This journey offers us a different kind of success, one that begins here but will lead us into eternity. Look at the life of our newest saint, Carlo Acutis. In his short life he was neither a scholar, a star in sports, nor popular among his peers, and yet he entered the narrow gate of sainthood by his deep relationship with Jesus beyond his natural abilities. We too need to rely on God’s power to let the beatitudes become real in our lives. In that way the narrow gate will be open for us.
- Do you ever find yourself in contradiction to what our society holds up as having success?
- How does your relationship with Jesus help you to make the beatitudes real in your life?
- Do you have a community that supports you on the road to spiritual growth?
O God, give me the grace to enter through the narrow gate.