Divine Dialogue of God with the Soul
“How come people who aren’t Catholic don’t have to go to confession?” It was a question a young man asked me one evening. It was getting close to the time for the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation, and he and some of his friends were milling around after class. Here they were, fifteen and sixteen year olds, and they were preparing to make their second confession since grade two! It was daunting at best, and downright scary at the worst. ‘How come we can’t just tell God we’re sorry like our friends do at their church?’ I don’t have time to tell you here how I answered them, but at the end my young friend simply said, “Well, I guess it’s because we’re Catholic!”
Have you ever asked yourself why you are a Catholic, or more exactly, why you remain a Catholic? Maybe you have. Perhaps the thought has come to you in moments of difficult decisions, or after reading about some sad or distressing situation in a nearby parish. You might wonder why you’re still Catholic after your faith has cost you a friendship, or you passed up a chance to do something you were aching to do when your conscience wouldn’t let you because you’re a follower of Jesus. Sometimes you might hear yourself saying under your breath, “It’s really hard to be a Catholic!”
It is, isn’t it? Today we hear Jesus say, ‘Enter by the narrow gate’ (Luke 13:22-30). He’s speaking of the Kingdom of God, both here and in eternity. We shouldn’t be surprised by this advice. He never promised us that it would be easy to live for the Kingdom. Jesus told His apostles during His days with them that they should expect to be hated, persecuted and disrespected. If they have hated me, they will hate you, He said (Jn.15:20). That sounds like bad news, not a very good way to advertise His organization, if you will. It’s as if He’s saying, ‘Join me, follow me, and you will have enemies. You’ll be persecuted. They will try to kill you. It’s going to be hard!’ But somehow for more than two thousand years people have been living for Jesus and for His kingdom. And, we might add, dying for Him, too.
Today might be a good day for us to stop and ask ourselves, Who am I, and Whose am I? Let’s articulate what it means for us (for me) to be a faithful Catholic, to enter by the narrow gate, the one so narrow that we might have to let go of something precious in order to fit through that gate. Let us ask ourselves what is so precious about this faith, about possessing and being possessed by Jesus that we are willing to be countercultural, to adopt practices that really cost us something, like confession, after all, and forgiving someone who has done something really hurtful. Then let us think about the awesome gift that is our faith: the times we find comfort in Holy Communion, or reach out to the Mother of Jesus who holds us in the crossing of her arms (her word to us in her apparition as Our Lady of Guadalupe). Think about the unspeakable love of God for us, even when we fall short in our efforts to be holy. And what about our hope of eternal life with God and with our loved ones who have gone before us? How about the security of trusting the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of life and of marriage?
The gate is narrow. And it is hard to be faithful to Jesus. But the reward, here and for eternity are immeasurable. Be proud that you are among the billions of Catholics who have lived as faithful Catholics. Not perfect, but faithful. Be proud, and grateful.
With the help of our Jesus, we can do narrow.
and then