This month has been an off one for me. You? In life there are occurrences that throw us off balance all the time. Some of them are small like spilling coffee in the car and burning our hand. While others create a ripple towards other areas of are life that can have a lasting effect. We ask ourselves questions all the time to move us forward in life and each choice brings us closer to …our end. Morbid? … a little. What choices did you make in the last hour?
How do you know if you chose currectly?
In today’s Gospel a man asked Jesus, “Sir, will there be a few saved?” Jesus’ response does not give a number, he tells the man what he must do to be saved. …try your hardest to enter by the narrow door… There are specific rules to live by that tells us what we must do to get into the kingdom with God. In tough positions we say to ourselves WWJD – What would Jesus do? While that is a great question to ask ourselves to keep us on track for entering the narrow door, is it the right question we should be asking?
What should we be asking?
Father Elio explained that the sacrificial life is not the easy road. Embracing our hardships and remembering the sacrifice that Jesus took for us makes the journey easier to face. How we look at our hardships may help us realize that they are not hardships at all. Perhaps it is what leads us on our path of the straight and narrow OR it may inspire us to share our testimonies with others.
He went on to explain in Mass that there are things we can do to make sure that when the time comes we are able to walk through that narrow door without fear of being turned away:
- Remember that repeating 1 sin just because its the 1 is not a good idea, like telling a white lie. The repetition of telling little white lies, one may become comfortable lying altogether and find that little white lie avalanche into something bigger.
- Stay away from easily accessible gateways like alcohol or drugs.
- Make it a habit to confess your sins on a regular basis. The longer you go without confession the farther one tends to stray away from the narrow path one was on.
- Praying all the time and not just when one is in need. Keeping the conversation going with God, even when you’re not in church, is a way to keep Him involved in your life.
- Keep the ten commandments in the forefront of your mind, with every decision you make.
He said while it might be necessary to ask: What’s for dinner?; Is there enough money to cover the bills?; What movie are we watching for date night? Remember to ask, our we on the straight and narrow. If God came for us today, would we gain entry? Will we be saved?
I hope today you realize that the answer to “Will I be saved?”, is up to you! Each one of us has the opportunity, regardless of what just happened, to stop, regroup and align ourselves so that we will not be turned away from the narrow door.
Until then,