But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14).
The other day – following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, may God rest her soul – on a Sunday when the NSW Government allowed free public transport, my family and I decided to take advantage of the offer of free public transport, and travel into the city to spend the day out together.
It was a beautiful Spring Day and we took advantage of the buses and ferries and had a lovely time.
One thing that I noticed while we were out, was that the demand for the public transport was astronomical. Queues to board the buses and ferries were gigantic and the trips themselves were less comfortable than usual because we often had to stand up because there was very limited room due to the significant increase in commuters.
And I have been reflecting on that over the last few days because it seems to me so strange that when we are offered free public transport we queue and endure some discomfort to take advantage of it, but when we are freely offered eternal life, we turn away from it…
You see, as I was waiting in those crowds, I started to think about what the path to salvation must look like. After all, if a saving of approximately $10 could draw in such crowds, surely the opportunity to attain eternal salvation would draw in unspeakable crowds…
And yet, I know that the road to salvation is narrow and "only a few find it" (Matthew 7:14)…
And yet – this too is a special privilege…
““Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14).
And Saint Faustina wrote in her Diary 153, “One day, I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings.”
And so, as I think about the crowds for the buses, trains and ferries on that Sunday afternoon, I find myself in tears, for “…small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:14).
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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