The Narrow Gate

This post was written by Angela S. 

2020 was supposed to be THE year. New decade, 20/20 vision, not a care in the world. Life was fast-paced, people had their routines--- they all lived in their own bubbles. However, this year has slowed all of that down. We are living in unprecedented times that on the surface seems to be a heavy load that just keeps getting heavier, adding to the hurt that people already have. There is suffering all over the world. Despite all this, there has been something beautiful that has come out of all the suffering.

I have been recently reflecting on a bible passage in the Gospel of Matthew,

"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 few." (Mt 7:13-14)

I have come across this passage a few times before, but I have never completely understood it until now.

Jesus loves all of us. As Mother Teresa put it, He thirsts for us. He wants us all to be close to Him, and He desires for us to be with Him in the kingdom of heaven someday. Jesus wants to be with us in both our happiness and in our difficulties. He wants to sympathize with us--- to be by our side at every moment. However, our busy lives have prevented us from listening to His thirst, from allowing Him to come close to us, and from seeing His love that is not bound by time. 

The various challenges we face in our lives are opportunities to slow down, to carefully pass through the narrow gate. Now, Jesus doesn't want the bad things that happen in life. Jesus Himself suffered and died for us. It is sin that causes all the suffering that happens in the world. However, Jesus wants us to unite our sufferings with His sufferings so we can conquer all difficulties together. There is no cross that we carry in our lives that Jesus has not already carried for us--- with Him we are stronger. The narrow gate may seem to lead to a tiresome road, while the wider gate may seem easier, and sin sometimes attracts us to it. However, we need to keep in mind that the narrow gate teaches us how to better love.

Society today makes love seem effortless, which is so not true. Love is something that requires effort, and we need to actively participate in it and share it with one another. Love requires sacrifice--- we need to be present to those we love, and sometimes this can be hard. Yet, this year has been a time where many people have learned to be truly present in their relationship with God, as well as their relationships with those around them. Families are spending more time with one another, old friends are reconnecting, and more people have turned to prayer in such difficult times.

So, 2020 may have not been the year we were all expecting. But it was the year we needed to teach us how to love one another and to listen to Jesus' thirst for our love. And 2020 is only the beginning. We are not alone, Jesus himself made the ultimate sacrifice. And through his resurrection, Jesus has seen firsthand the beauty that comes out of the suffering. He is there waiting for us behind the narrow gate so we can journey through this life together.