As school doors open and the students enter a new stage of their education there is always much to learn. I remember the teacher that I had. Looking back, the teacher who were the hardest, were the ones I learned the most.
Today we hear Jesus teaching and answering the question of how many will be saved. Jesus uses this opportunity to say something about the difficulties involved in following him. What appears as harsh words from Jesus is meant to be a warning to those who have gone astray. The narrow gate is about the difficult choices we make. We can choose the easy path that will guarantee that we will not grow or mature. Sometimes passing through the narrow gate will bring a great growth and maturity. Life is a series of narrow gates. To achieve anything of value in life means we have to strive. St. John of the Cross said, "The purest suffering bears and carries in its train the purest understanding."
As those teachers of mine challenged me to think, Jesus is challenging us to take the risk by allowing his words to challenge us. We pray that we will take the challenge and enter the narrow gate that Jesus directs us. Once we proceed through we will truly be better for it.
