Daily Reflection – 10/29/2025
Sacred Scripture
Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:22-30)
Reflection
In his journey toward Jerusalem, Jesus is asked a question that still echoes in our hearts: “Lord, will only a few be saved?” It’s a question born of anxiety and curiosity about the ultimate things. The response Jesus gives in the Gospel of Luke is not a number, but an invitation—and a warning. He challenges the comfortable assumptions of his listeners, many of whom believed that their heritage as God’s chosen people was a guaranteed ticket into the kingdom.
Jesus redirects their focus from who and how many to the personal and urgent matter of how. “Strive to enter through the narrow door,” he says. This isn’t a suggestion; it’s a command requiring effort, focus, and intentionality. It implies that the wide, easy path that most people travel does not lead to life. He warns that a time will come when the door is shut, and many who assumed they belonged will find themselves on the outside, pleading, “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.” Their familiarity with Jesus was superficial. They knew of him, but they did not truly know him.
What is this narrow door? Jesus himself provides the answer elsewhere: “I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved” (John 10:9). The way into God’s kingdom of peace and eternal life is not a set of rules or a particular heritage, but a person: Jesus Christ. He is the one who opens the way for us to experience God’s grace and find pardon for our sins. He walked the path of ultimate sacrifice to unlock this door for us.
To enter through him means we must follow him. This is the heart of discipleship. It calls for a profound surrender—trading our own will for his will, our own way for his way, our own life for his life. It means choosing the way of the cross, a path of self-giving love rather than self-centered ambition.
In a world that champions personal freedom and what we feel we are entitled to, this call to surrender can be jarring. Give up my way for another’s? Relinquish control? This is the scandal of the narrow door. It requires us to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over our lives, to see every moment not as something we own, but as a gift and an opportunity to accept His love. Heaven is not about us earning our place; it is about God’s decision to save us. True freedom is found not in asserting our will, but in joyfully accepting His.
How do we walk this path today? For those of us blessed with a strong marriage, healthy children, or comfortable lives, entering the narrow door means recognizing that every good thing comes from God’s hands. It is easy to say, “I worked hard for this. I made good decisions.” But humility whispers, “All that I am and all that I have is a gift. God gave me the ability, the relationships, the life itself. To Him be the praise.”
For those whose lives feel broken—struggling with frayed relationships, failing health, addiction, or depression—the narrow door is a beacon of hope. It’s easy to be crushed by regret, thinking, “If only I had made better choices.” But faith says, “Despite my faults and my sins, God’s love for me has not failed. He will not abandon me.” This belief gives us the strength to move forward, not because we are perfect, but because His love is powerful.
Ultimately, those who choose the narrow door understand that God is in charge. Whether we have succeeded or failed, God’s action is what is definitive. And His action is one of love. He chooses to save us. Our part is simply to accept this incredible gift with humility and trust.
Those who enter through the narrow gate understand that God is in charge. Those who enter through the narrow gate realize that for all they have done or failed to do, it is God’s action that is definitive. And God chooses to save us. What we need to do is to accept that salvation with humility and trust.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, may I never doubt your guiding presence and your merciful love towards me. Through the gift of your Spirit fill me with courage and persevering faith to trust you in all things and in every circumstance that, I find myself. Give me the strength to cling to your promises when the world around me begins to shake or crumble. And when my love and zeal begin to waver, fan into my heart a flame of consuming love and dedication for you who are my All.”
Daily Note
To enter the kingdom of God we must struggle against every force or power of opposition – even the temptation to remain indifferent, apathetic, or compromising in our faith and personal trust in Jesus, our hope in holding firm to the promises of Jesus, and our uncompromising love for God above all else (the “love that has been poured into our hearts through the gift of the Spirit which has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
