“Strive to enter through the narrow gate”

In 1896 there was a religious tract published called The Roads to Heaven and Hell by R.J. Stock, Cincinnati, Ohio. This tract was a reminder to the people at the time as well as to us that there are two ways. This lesson is Part 2 of 4 in which the tract will be explained in the light of today’s Gospel.
 
Detailed pictures from the tract will be in this lesson. To see the tract in its entirety please go to the packet page and click on The Roads to Heaven and Hell link.
 
At the bottom of the picture there is a small crowd of people, this crowd has set before them two paths, one narrow, one broad. There are two scenes that they immediately see before them. One that characterizes the narrow path, one the broad path.
 

 
 
B.YOLO (You only live once)
Discussion Questions: Discuss everything you observe in picture. What does the writing say at the bottom left of the picture? How is that theme portrayed in this picture?
 
The image of B shows the people only living for the current moment. The image portrays what we heard three weeks ago on the 18 ^th Sunday of Ordinary Time and in the Gospel Reading for the 1 ^stSunday of Advent (Cycle A) when Jesus warns the disciples to be ready for the Day of Judgment, and not just eat, drink, and be merry. [i] Are we living for the now or for eternity?

In contrast to a life of sacrifice is a life of selfishness. We only live once. It is true that we only live once, but that one life is both temporal (on earth) and eternal (the after life). The life we live on earth, either narrow or broad will determine where we live for eternity.
 
What is eternal life? “The term used by Christ to describe the state of endless happiness enjoyed by the just in heaven. It means not only everlasting duration but also fullness of life, which the believer possesses already here and now through participation in the life of God.” [ii] Man desires happiness, beatitude. Satan offers to man a temporal happiness, which does not last. In fact, the happiness Satan offers is an illusion which quick fades away. It would seem from the pictures that the people at the table laughing and drinking wine are happy and that the older couple sitting in front of a bowl of bread are not happy, but is that true. The older couple could be quite happy, extremely content, while the people who appear to be happy on the outside might very well be miserable on the inside. Unlike pleasure, which is satisfying for the moment, but quickly fades, “happiness can be sustained beyond the activity producing the happiness.” [iii] There are many activities that bring about pleasure, but these activities do not sustain themselves. For example sports bring about pleasure, but a person as they get older may not be able to participate in the sport that brought pleasure. Sports, therefore, although they can bring about pleasure and even a temporary happiness do not have a lasting happiness. Drugs and alcohol bring about pleasure, but these activities do not sustain themselves, but in fact the more they are used they can destroy life and happiness rather than sustain life and happiness.
 
ACTIVITY – The Narrow Path, The Wide Path
Listen to the next three songs, what do they say about life. What do they say about the narrow path to heaven, the broad path to hell?
 
MUSIC – “Afterlife” by Switchfoot
Eternal Life is here and now when we participate in the life of God. I'm ready now, I'm not waiting for the afterlife, I'm ready now, I'm ready now
 
MUSIC – “YOLO”
What is this song saying about the “life” we live. The song is making fun of people that worry or obsess over physical dangers. In a sense it is saying “don’t worry, be happy” and if you worried about everything you wouldn’t be able to life. Although we should not “worry” or paranoid about every little thing we are called by Christ to be aware of the dangers to our soul. It is true that we should YOLO (You oughta look out).
 
We are given the gift of counsel so that we are able to “look out” for the dangers to our salvation. “We receive the gift of Counsel to warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation.” [iv]Counsel not only warns us but gives us the strength to know what to do and say in difficult situations. The gift of counsel is “one of the special gifts of the Holy Spirit; it perfects the virtue of prudence. Its function is to enable a person to judge promptly and rightly, as by a sort of supernatural intuition, what should be done, especially in difficult situations. With the gift of counsel, the Holy Spirit speaks, as it were, to the heart and in an instant enlightens a person what to do. It responds to the promise made by Christ to his followers, ‘When they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you’ (Matthew 10:19).” [v]
 

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[i] cf. Luke 12:13-21; Matthew 24:37-44
[ii] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.; Modern Catholic Dictionary
[iii] Matthew Kelly; Perfectly Yourself: 9 Lessons for Enduring Happiness
[iv] Baltimore Catechism No. 3; Question 704
[v] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.; Modern Catholic Dictionary