Passing Through the Narrow Gate
Many times, we are a people who like certainties. And when we know we can’t get certainties, we at least want odds—percentages.
Last weekend, my brother called me. He’s into sports betting—I’m not—but he was frustrated because he went by the odds, and guess who he picked? K-State. So, we had that conversation. I know, probably too soon! But in all honesty, I’m a Notre Dame fan.
The man in today’s Gospel was also looking for the odds. He didn’t have certainty, so he wanted the numbers. “How many will be saved? Do I have a chance to go to heaven?” He asked this abstract question, but in reality, it became a distraction for him. Because when you focus on others’ souls without looking at your own, what happens? You neglect your own soul.
How does Jesus respond? He cuts through the question. He doesn’t give a number—He tells the man what to do: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.”
And why strive? Because you have to fight for it.
This comes with two very important truths. First: we do not automatically get to heaven. If it were automatic, Jesus wouldn’t have said we have to strive for it. Second: we don’t earn heaven. That’s harder to think about, but it’s true. We don’t work our way to heaven because salvation is a gift. A free gift from God. Unearned and completely undeserved. No matter who we are, we only have access to the Father because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross.
At the same time, this gift is one we must cooperate with. It’s a gift we must choose.
Here’s the danger I think we face most in our lives: comfort. Think about it—most of us have everything we need. If we’re hungry, there’s food. If we’re thirsty, there’s drink. If we’re tired, we have a bed. If we’re bored … we have our phones! Yes, we have struggles in our own ways, but our culture is designed to alleviate discomfort.
However, most of the world doesn’t live as we do. For thousands of years, throughout almost all of human history, the default state of human beings has been struggle and discomfort. When we imagine that way of life, we think it’s extreme, too rigorous. But the truth is, we were designed for struggle. That’s often when we are at our best—because it forces us to strive.
If we orient our lives toward comfort, then discomfort starts to feel strange or even dangerous. But there are some battles worth fighting for. Some struggles worth enduring. And so the question becomes: is heaven worth fighting for?
Jesus answers with a resounding yes.
The word Jesus used for “strive” actually translates to “agonize.” It’s the same word used to describe His agony in the garden. Agonize for heaven. Strive for heaven.
If that’s true, then we must ask ourselves: where am I fighting for heaven in my life? Where am I agonizing for heaven?
The point is not really the narrow gate itself. It’s what’s beyond it. The difficulty isn’t the goal—it’s the destination that matters. When we realize that, the struggle becomes lighter. It becomes less like agony and more like comfort—a comfort for the soul.
St. Paul reminds us of this truth in the second reading:
“God treats you as sons. Endure your trials as discipline. At the time all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”
Fr. James Schibi, Pastor
TAKEAWAY: Heaven is worth the struggle. Strive, agonize, and fight for it—because beyond the narrow gate is eternal life with God.