Only One of Two Paths Is 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7,11-13; Lk 13:22-30 (21 / C)

 

Only One of Two Paths

Is 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7,11-13; Lk 13:22-30 (21 / C)

The standards of heaven are not the standards of earth (Gaudium et Spes)

 

The evangelist Luke brings forth Jesus’ parable of “enter through the narrow gate” (Mt 7:13-14). This image of the “narrow door” or “the eye of a needle” (Mk 10:25) reflects the final verses of the parable, the image of the heavenly banquet at Is 43:5-6, speaking of God’s bringing Israel’s descendants back from the east and the west, the north, and the south. He provides a feast of rich foods and choice wines for all peoples on his holy mountain (Is 25:6). To partake in it, Jesus calls his disciples to a choice between two paths: the way of life and the way of death (Ps 1); “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore, choose life” (Dt 30). Jesus reiterates this teaching, portraying the vivid metaphor of the narrow and the wide gate.

In the cities of Jesus’ time, gates varied in size. There were wide gates where crowds, merchants, and animals could easily pass, but there were also smaller gates where only one person could enter at a time, often only by stooping or laying aside burdens. The image of the narrow gate suggests that discipleship is not about moving with the crowd or carrying every attachment of this world. To enter it, one must bow in humility, let go of pride, sin, and unnecessary baggage, and make a personal decision to follow Christ. In using this image, Jesus is revealing his own heart. He is the narrow gate. He declares, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (Jn 10:9). To enter this gate means to embrace his way of life, living the pattern of his Cross. Yet the narrowness of the Cross opens into the vastness of Resurrection and eternal joy.

In Luke’s version, Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Lk 13:24). The word “strive” in the original Greek is agonizesthe, the root of our word “agony,” meaning to struggle or wrestle like an athlete in training. St. Paul uses the same language when he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). Christian life is not a casual walk on an easy road, but a race that requires endurance, vigilance, and discipline, empowered always by grace. St. Augustine teaches that the narrow way is difficult at first, because it restrains disordered desires, once the heart is enlarged by the love of God, it becomes sweet and wide with joy”. St. Gregory the Great reminds us that “the narrow gate is nothing other than love of God expressed in sacrifice, for it requires preferring his will above our own”.

Today, this teaching remains as urgent. The wide gate is the way of the world—comfort without sacrifice, freedom without truth, and pleasure without responsibility. It is attractive because it demands little, but it ends up in emptiness. The narrow gate is the path of fidelity to Christ—prayer, honesty, forgiveness, generosity to the poor, faithfulness in marriage, courage to live the truth even when unpopular. Jesus, through the Gospel, is showing us the only way to its fullness. The narrow gate is not misery but love of Christ to walk with him, nourished by his Word and his Body and Blood. What appears narrow is the path to the vast freedom of God’s love and the eternal joy of his kingdom. Which gate are we choosing each day? May we, with God’s grace, choose the narrow gate with courage, knowing that the One who calls us to enter also walks with us to everlasting life. 

“Our hope in a new earth should not weaken…” (Gaudium et Spes)