“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.” // Matthew 7:13-14
When my husband Paul and I visited the Holy Land a few years ago, one of my favorite stops was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is the church that has been built around Calvary and includes—and is named for— the sacred tomb where Jesus was buried.
Inside the large church is a small free-standing chapel built around the tomb with a small door to enter. Once you enter, there is a smaller door that leads to an even smaller space: the tomb itself. I remember ducking down to get in that second door and suddenly there I was—in the exact spot they placed Jesus after He died. Through this tiny door came the place of everlasting life.
It did not feel impossibly small, once you squeezed in through the door. I managed to get in just as a very small gathering was starting Mass, and there we stood—in that sacred space that once held everything for us—our hope, our freedom, our joy. It had all been contained in this tomb so many years ago. Here it was still.
In today’s Gospel we hear about the narrow gate (see Matthew 7:6, 12-14). We know about this gate because every day we as Christians all strive to follow the road to which it leads us. Some days we recognize the joy of living on this constricted road, how protected we are by the Lord when we stay in the pasture where He cares for us.
But some days it can be a challenge. It might seem easier to have a broader space to roam and we are tempted to get off our narrow path and find the freedom our fallen human nature thinks we deserve.
Thankfully, Jesus is our Good Shepherd. When we wander off the road that leads to life, He seeks us. He gently draws us back to Himself, through the narrow door, back into the space of deep freedom and abiding joy. The place of everlasting life.
Lord, as we go about our day today, show us Your guiding hand and keep us on the road that leads to life everlasting. Amen.
Rachel Balducci is a writer and speaker and co-host of the Gist on CatholicTV. She has a Masters degree from the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia and teaches at Augusta University and is working on her doctorate in Religion at the University of Georgia. She and her husband Paul have five sons and one daughter and are part of an intentional Christian community in Augusta, Georgia. Find out more about her here.
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