Lenten Retreat - (The Narrow Door) - First Meditation (The Narrow Gate)

FIRST POINT: Overcome the flesh

PRESENTATION

Permission

You who went before us to show us the way to the Father.

Douay-Rheims Bible Chapter 13

22 And he went through the cities and towns teaching and making his journey to Jerusalem.

23 And a certain man said to him: Lord, are they few that are saved? But he said to them:

24 Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able.

25 But when the master of the house shall be gone in and shall shut the door, you shall begin to stand without; and knock at the door, saying: Lord, open to us. And he answering, shall say to you: I know you not, whence you are.

26 Then you shall begin to say: We have eaten and drunk in thy presence: and thou hast taught in our streets.

27 And he shall say to you: I know you not, whence you are. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God: and you yourselves thrust out.

29 And there shall come from the east and the west and the north and the south: and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

30 And behold, they are last that shall be first: and they are first that shall be last.

If you’ll forgive the example, I’d like to quote from an episode of the Simpsons.

In the tenth season episode, Mom and Pop Art, Homer becomes an “Outsider Artist”, but when the art community grows tired of his works, he decides to create a grand spectacle to win them back. He floods the streets of Springfield to imitate the canals of Venice.

When his religious neighbour, Ned Flanders, wakes up that morning, he rejoices, thinking that God has drowned the wicked and spared the righteous. However, he then sees Homer pass by his window in a boat and, exasperated, says, “Homer Simpson?! Looks like heaven's easier to get into than Arizona State.”

It’s a humorous moment, back from the era when the show was actually funny, but it points to an important fact. Most people believe that eternal bliss in Heaven is just that easy to achieve. Even Catholics think that all you have to do is be a “good” person, with an ever-changing definition of what “good” means.

Of course, the Church has not helped matters by turning most Catholic funerals into de facto canonizations of the deceased, but that is a topic for another time.

Even for those of us with a better understanding of Catholic teaching, we can deceive ourselves into thinking that getting to Heaven is easier than it is.

Christ Himself tells us that we must use violence. He uses the word fight to denote the struggle and conflict that must take place between the spirit and the flesh.

The flesh wants to take the wide and easy road, as passing through the narrow gate means mortification, penance, humility, and obedience.

The spirit sees that we need to pass that way since there is no other door to enter paradise than the one through which Christ Himself has passed.

Hence, there must always be struggle and combat between the spirit and the flesh, so much so that one may often endure much anguish.

ILLUSTRATION

One day, when St. Teresa of Avila was very ill and could not take any food, she thought she would like to taste an orange. So one of the sisters brought her a few very sweet ones. As soon as they were brought to her, instead of touching them herself, she sent them to some of her poor people who were sick.

One of the sisters asked her why she had done this since she herself was in need of them more than anyone else.

“I feel more pleasure,” she said, “in giving them to the poor than if I kept them for myself; when I see them satisfied, I am also full of joy.”

This is how the saints practiced mortification. They walked the narrow way and are now enjoying the fruits of their labours in heaven.

APPLICATION

Thus, we must fight, with a great heart, fiercely and heroically. We have to keep what is at stake before our eyes, and it is nothing less than eternity. We must follow the wise counsel that St. Paul gave to Timothy:

Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition Chapter 6

11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

If we choose the wide path for a few meagre years of pleasure in this life, how truly miserable will our state be for eternity?

SECOND POINT: Overcome tepidity

PRESENTATION

Now, let’s all take a moment to think back to the time when we chose the path of discipleship to follow Christ. For some, it was a conversion from another faith or from no faith; for others, it was when we were no longer under the care of our parents and had to make the choice to live the life of faith ourselves.

However it came about, aided by God’s grace, we fought bravely, separating ourselves from all those things that held us back, that hindered our perseverance. But that single moment of conversion is not enough. All we need to do is look to the example of all those who failed to continue the fight and have fallen away.

Discouraged by the continual opposition and contradictions of their senses, they grew tired, or they began to despair of victory.

After having achieved many victories over their enemies, they have, in the end, missed the narrow gate to heaven.

Do we want to be among their number? Do we want to put in so much effort to fight only to give up halfway to the finish line?

This afternoon, we will consider the sorry state of those who chose the wide path that leads to perdition, but for now, it is sufficient to consider ourselves and whether we have kept our original fervour or whether we have become complacent and satisfied with mediocrity.

ILLUSTRATION

Our Blessed Lord tells us in the Gospel that if we desire to become perfect we must follow Him by carrying our Cross as He did—that is, by bearing patiently the trials and sufferings of this short life.

There was once a young man who took the firm resolution of living a perfect life on earth, that he might secure for himself a crown of glory in Heaven.

For this purpose he went to a monastery, where he thought he would be better able to live a perfect life than in the midst of a world full of dangers and temptations.

At first, being very fervent, everything seemed easy to him, and he found the greatest delight in the perfect accomplishment of his Rule. But as time went on, and the novelty of his position began to wear away, he no longer felt that happiness and joy which he felt at the beginning. Everything seemed weary and irksome to him, and he fell first into lukewarmness, and then into a state of great discontent. Among other things he took a great dislike to the clothing which the novices had to wear, because it was made of very rough material.

One night, as he lay down to rest in this discontented mood, he had a vision. He thought he saw Our Divine Saviour Jesus Christ carrying a very heavy cross on His shoulders, and that He was trying to go up a very steep and narrow ladder, which caused Him greater and greater difficulty. The novice, seeing this, and touched with compassion, ran forward to Our Lord, and said to Him, “O Lord, I will help You to carry that cross.” But Our Lord, turning towards him, looked at him with great indignation, and said, “You help Me! How could you help Me to carry My cross, which is so heavy, when you are not able to carry for love of Me the poor and rough dress of your Order, which is so very light in comparison?”

At once, the vision disappeared, and the novice awoke. He was confused when he began to think of the reproach he had received, and resolved at once to change his life, and to suffer all with love and patience.

APPLICATION

How well do we continue to fight? Have we maintained our fervour, willing to suffer pains and discomforts, mortifying our bodies and our souls? Have we instead given in to not only lukewarmness, which is a terrible state in itself, or have we fallen even further into discontent with all that we have to suffer?

If we do not wish to fall into the dreadful misfortune of losing heaven, then we have to continue to fight to the very end, heeding the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians:

Douay-Rheims Bible Chapter 9

I chastise my body and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.

THIRD POINT: Overcome yourself

PRESENTATION

Beyond the need to persevere in the battle, we must keep in mind that when we begin to neglect the fight and give up the struggle in order to enter heaven, we will not be able to take up the combat again when we may wish to. Again, Our Lord says:

Douay-Rheims Bible Chapter 13

24 Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able.

The athlete who neglects his training, after a time, will no longer be able to perform at the same level he once could. A Soldier who lays down his arms and does not constantly prepare for combat will not be able to win victory over the enemy when the time for battle comes.

Likewise, if we lay down our spiritual arms, and allow our senses to win too many victories, we will no longer know how to fight when we desire the spirit to gain the mastery over our base passions.

We will find ourselves enfeebled by the force of vice and habit and altogether wanting in those strong graces which we need to achieve the victory.

ILLUSTRATION

One of the ancient Fathers of the desert gave the following advice to a young monk who asked him how he could most easily persevere and gain the victory over the three great enemies of his soul, “My child, keep near to God; as no one dare go forward to hurt a person while he is at the side of the Emperor, so neither can Satan do any injury to you if you keep close to God. The Apostle says ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.’ It is only because people do not think of God, or keep themselves in His holy presence, that so many are overcome, and lose their souls.”

APPLICATION

The easiest and surest manner then, of fighting to the end, is to keep our spirits accustomed to combat continually against the senses. In this way only will victory be secured on all occasions. Vince te ipsum. Overcome yourself in all that your inferior and corrupted nature would deny to the dictates of reason and to the will of God.

CONCLUSION

Douay-Rheims Bible Chapter 13

24 Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able.

It is a word of counsel and a word of warning. So many people are convinced that entrance into Heaven is almost automatic after life in this world. Even many good Catholics do not strive, and fight against ourselves, against the flesh through mortification and penance.

There are many who start the journey, but finding the narrow path too hard to traverse, they fall to the wide road that leads to perdition. Have we grown weary of the fight, allowing the enemies of salvation to win battle after battle?

If we become negligent, if we allow the passions and the senses to gain victory over us, then fighting our way back onto the narrow path may become more difficult than it was to embark on it in the first place.

The narrow path is not one that can be traversed for a time, abandoned for a time, and then resumed, it is a way of life that demands perseverance until we safely cross the finish line in the Heavenly kingdom.