Edison Valencia, LC
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Christ, our King.
Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, give me enough strength to enter through the doors that you are placing in my path.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 13:22-30
At that time, Jesus was teaching in towns and villages as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, is it true that few are saved?” Jesus answered him, “Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for I tell you the truth, many will try to enter and will not be able. When the master of the house gets up from the table and closes the door, you will stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ But he will answer them: ‘I do not know who you are.’ Then they will say to him persistently, ‘We have eaten and drunk with you, and you have taught in our marketplaces.’ But he will reply: ‘I assure you, I do not know who you are. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’ Then you will weep and despair. Then you will weep and despair, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you are cast out. Many will come from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, and will partake of the banquet of the Kingdom of God. For those who are now last shall be first; and those who are now first shall be last.”.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Let us focus our gaze on the narrow door and ask ourselves if we really want to enter through it. Who said that being a Christian is easy, who said that Christianity is lived in a light way? We, the baptized, are not called to enter through the wide door, the one that is much easier and more accessible, but which, in the end, leads to the entrance of perdition. A saint used to say: «Let us work as if everything depended on us with the awareness that everything depends on God».
The Lord will never leave us alone, for He knows very well through which door we must enter; He knows perfectly well the size through which we fit, for it is He who gives us that door. Let us be clear that He will always be there to give us a hand if necessary.
Let us ask ourselves, what kind of door am I looking for in my life? The world will present us with many doors, but it is up to us which of them we choose, whether those with golden frames, plated with gold and silver, or those with small, old wooden frames, which are often the ones that lead us to eternal salvation.
«But Jesus reverses the question, which focuses more on quantity, i.e., “Are they few?” and instead places the answer on the level of responsibility, inviting us to use the present tense well. Indeed, he says: “Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for, I tell you, many will seek to enter and will not be able.” With these words, Jesus makes it clear that it is not a question of number, there is no “closed number” in Paradise! But it is a question of crossing the right passage from now on, and this right passage is for all, but it is narrow. This is the problem. Jesus does not want to deceive us by saying: “Yes, don't worry, it is easy, there is a beautiful road and at the bottom a big gate”. He does not tell us this: he tells us about the narrow gate. He tells us things as they are: the passage is narrow. In what sense? In the sense that to be saved one must love God and one's neighbor, and this is not comfortable! It is a “narrow gate” because it is demanding, love is always demanding, it requires commitment, even more, “effort”, that is, a firm and persevering will to live according to the Gospel».
(Angelus of H.H. Francis, 25 August 2019).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Today I will strive to enter through that door that I do not want to enter but that God asks of me, for it will be a great blessing for me.
Farewell
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
