Daily Thought For June 23, 2020

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The Narrow Gate


 Lectio

 Matthew 7:6, 12–14

Meditatio

 “How narrow the gate … that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

 As I was making my daily commute one day, it hit me that I was actually living this Gospel. I was trying to catch the Staten Island Ferry, and the terminal workers were ready to close the doors to the crowd going into Manhattan. At a certain point, they must secure the area and make sure it is safe for the ferry to leave port. As the wide-open glass doors that separate the terminal (where I was) from the ferry (where I wanted to be) started to close, I and all the other late-comers broke into an all-out run. We made it just in time.
Once inside the safety zone, panting, I thought, “That was a real, visceral feeling of the narrow gate!” I was focused only on getting through that door. Nothing could distract me from my goal. Have you ever lived this? Hastening to make it just in time before the door closes … whether it’s a ferryboat, a deadline, or a golden opportunity? All other worries take second place to the only thing that matters. That one all consuming concern engages our entire being.

 In these experiences, I think the Lord wants to actually show us how concerned he would like us to feel about the gate and the road that leads to life. Nothing else in the world can measure up to this in importance or urgency.

 What path shall I take today? Will I take the way that gives life and shares it, that does unto others “whatever you would have them do to you”? Am I grateful to those who “hold the doors” and help me through life with their patience, kindness, or ability to overlook my foibles? How will I today hold the doors for others to enter this all-important way of life?

Oratio

 Jesus, I get so distracted from the important things in life, sometimes not seeing the forest for the trees. You are my blessed Gate whom the Father sent to bring me to life. You have opened for me the way of holiness. Help me to find the way you would like me to walk today. Travel with me and help me to open the gate to others.

Contemplatio

 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”
Daughters of St. Paul. (2011). Ordinary Grace Weeks 1–17: Daily Gospel Reflections. (M. G. Dateno & M. L. Trouvé, Eds.) (pp. 206–207). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media.

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