June 23, 2026 // Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 7:6, 12-14
Reflect on the Word //
I stared at my phone longer than I’d like to admit. The message was typed out, honest but uncomfortable. I knew it needed to be said, but I kept rereading it, softening the words, wondering if I should just delete it altogether. It would’ve been easier to avoid it or stay vague in order to keep the peace. My finger hovered over “send,” caught between what was easier and what was right.
In that moment, I realized how often I equate peace with ease. If something feels uncomfortable, I assume it must not be the right choice. But more often than not, the easier option isn’t the more honest one. It doesn’t require courage, or trust, or surrender—it just keeps things smooth on the surface. And yet, I’ve started to notice that the choices that shape me most are rarely the ones that feel effortless in the moment.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus speaks plainly: “Enter through the narrow gate; [. . .] How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.” There’s something unsettling about that. We don’t like limitation—we associate it with restriction, not freedom. But Jesus reframes it. The narrow road isn’t about confinement; it’s about direction. It leads somewhere real, somewhere lasting.
What I’m learning is that the narrow path often looks like small, daily choices: choosing honesty when it’s easier to stay vague, choosing prayer when I feel distracted, choosing trust when I’d rather control the outcome. It doesn’t always feel significant at the moment. It can feel hidden, even unnoticed. But over time, these small yeses shape a life rooted in something deeper than comfort.
The wide road promises ease, but the narrow one promises life. And not just any life—true life, the kind that forms us, anchors us, and ultimately leads us home.
We live in a world that constantly invites us to take the easier path. May we have the courage to choose the narrow way, trusting that even when it feels small or difficult, it is leading us into the fullness of life God desires for us.
Relate to the Lord // What small yes are you being invited to give today? Maybe it is going to daily Mass, forgiving someone, putting down your phone, etc.
