I just got back from an incredible camping trip in Montana. One thing that was so amazing about this trip is that in order to go to this camping site, we had to go into this narrow valley. And in this narrow valley, we couldn’t use our phones at all and we knew that.
We were willing to give up our phones, our social media, everything, in order to go to this beautiful campsite. Jesus in the gospel today, he says, “I’m the narrow gate. Enter and strive through the narrow gate. The narrow gate being me.” There are things that are weighing you down. Sins, temptations, addictions, unhealthy relationships. So many things that we have to get rid of from our lives in order to get into that narrow gate who is Jesus. My invitation for all of us today is just like the college kids and I entered into this narrow valley, get rid of anything that could connect us to the world. What are we willing to give up to be in the beautiful heart of Jesus? Get rid of the stuff that’s not from him.
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Gate To Heaven
So, at the end of your life, you get to the gates of heaven, and the person guarding the gates of heaven, either St. Peter or Morgan Freeman, asks you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” And we could have so many answers, like ” because I’m awesome,” ” because I gave much money to the poor,” ” because I went to mass every Sunday,” or “I’m not Voldemort.” We can give many good answers…
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Joy in the Midst of Suffering
So, have you ever felt like you are going to die after you get a paper cut or stub your toe? Me too. But blessed Chiara Luce Badano, a contemporary teenage saint of the church, teaches us how to have joy amid suffering. She contracted a rare form of cancer as a teenager. But amid her suffering, she knew that Jesus had already won in her heart, and she did not have to be afraid. Today, we celebrate…
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Protect Your King
I am awful at chess. Like, bad. But the other thing is I try to protect all of the chess pieces on the board, which means I don’t honestly try to protect my king. This is the only thing that you need to win the game. And if you don’t have the king, you lose. Jesus Christ is trying to get this across in the gospel today. You have everything if you have Jesus and nothing else in your life. But if you don’t have Jesus, if you don’t have the king…
