Read Online
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road
broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are
many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to
life. And those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13–14
Is fear helpful? That depends. It depends upon which form of fear
we are speaking of. First, there is a form of fear that is contrary
to faith. It’s a fear that leads us to doubt and even despair. It’s
a fear that results from the attack of the evil one and others who
may sin against us. This form of fear is unhealthy and must be
overcome through a faith that turns to our Lord with the utmost
confidence and hope.
But there is also a holy fear that is most useful and one of the
seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Recall the Proverb that says, “The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (Proverbs 9:10). At a
minimal level, this holy fear makes you aware of your sins and the
consequences of those sins, especially serious sin. And this holy
fear leads you to fear the punishment that results from sin,
leading you to avoid serious sin. But the ideal form of “fear of
the Lord” we must strive for is “filial fear,” which is the holy
fear of a son or daughter of God. This fear is one that is grounded
in a profound love of God and leaves you so filled with a wonder
and awe of the glory, goodness and majesty of God that you are
filled with a desire to please Him and give Him great glory with
your life. Thus, this “fear” leads you to a desire to avoid even
the smallest of sin, because, in your love of God, you not only
want to avoid offending Him, you also want to honor Him to the
greatest extent possible.
The Scripture passage above should lead us to, at a minimum, a fear
of not entering the gate to the “road that leads to life.” It is
useful to consider Jesus’ teaching in a very straightforward way.
Jesus essentially says that it is quite easy to walk through the
gate that is “wide” and down the road that is “broad” in this life.
In other words, it’s exceptionally easy to embrace a life of sin
and head toward “destruction.” Jesus further says that those who
walk through this wide gate and down this broad road are “many.”
This fact should be the cause of our honest daily examination. If
this broad road is so easy, then we should honestly admit that we
can easily find ourselves walking it.
The “narrow gate” and the “constricted” road are found and walked
by only a “few,” according to Jesus’ words. Again, we should take
notice of this and take it seriously. Jesus would not say this if
it were not true. Therefore, if the gift of the fear of the Lord is
alive in your life, and if you truly are a son or daughter of God,
then you will daily strive to be one of those “few” who find this
narrow way to holiness. And, ideally, you will do so out of your
love for God and your desire to give Him the greatest glory you
can.
Reflect, today, upon this challenging teaching of our Lord. Take
Him at His word and evaluate your life in light of this teaching.
What are you doing in life to be certain that you are one of those
few who have begun to walk through this narrow gate? Does your love
for God leave you with such a wonder and awe of the greatness of
God that your deepest desire is to not only please Him but to
glorify Him fully with your actions? Strive to enter the narrow
gate and the constricted road and do not turn back. Though this
requires much determination, sacrifice and love, the goal and end
of the road are worth it.
My most magnificent Lord, You and You alone are worthy of all
glory, honor and praise. May everything I do in life lead to Your
glory and may I avoid everything that harms my relationship with
You. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You and glorify You
with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
Source of content:
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Copyright 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission via RSS feed.
Featured image above: The road to heaven By Kranj
Jamnik, via Wikimedia Commons
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.