Sep 10 Wed
If necessary, should I be strong enough to make unpopular decisions?
Last week, Pope Leo answered the question with the image of the “narrow gate,” which Jesus uses in his answer to someone who asks him if only a few will be saved.
At first glance, this image can make us think: if God is the Father of love and mercy, who always stands with open arms to welcome us, why does Jesus say that the gate of salvation is narrow?
Certainly, the Lord does not want to discourage us. Rather, his words are meant primarily to challenge the presumption of those people who think they are already saved, who perform religious acts, and feel that is all that is needed. They are not aware that unless they change their hearts, it is not enough to perform religious acts. The Lord does not want worship detached from life. He is not pleased with sacrifices and prayers, unless they lead to greater love for others and justice for our brothers and sisters. For this reason, when such people come before the Lord boasting that they ate and drank with him and heard him teaching in their streets, they will hear him reply: “I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!”
Jesus tells us that it is not enough to profess the faith with words, to eat and drink with him by celebrating the Eucharist, or to have a good knowledge of Christian doctrine. Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes the guideline for our decisions, when it makes us people committed to doing what is right and who take risks out of love, even as Jesus did.
Jesus did not choose the easy path of success or power; instead, to save us, He loved us to the point of walking through the “narrow gate” of the Cross. Jesus is the true measure of our faith; He is the gate through which we must pass to be saved by experiencing his love and by working, in our daily lives, to promote justice and peace.
There are times when this involves making difficult and unpopular decisions, resisting our selfish inclinations, placing ourselves at the service of others, and persevering in doing what is right when the logic of evil seems to prevail.
Once we cross that threshold, however, we will discover that life flourishes anew. From that moment on, we will enter into the immense heart of God and the joy of the eternal banquet that he has prepared for us.
Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us find the courage to pass through the “narrow gate” of the Gospel, so that we may open ourselves with joy to the wide embrace of God our loving Father.