Daily Gospel Reflection for June 25, 2024

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Dr. Andrew Macdonald

Today's Gospel: Matthew 7:6, 12-14

“Do unto others,” (a.k.a the Golden Rule) and “enter through the narrow gate,” are the parts of this verse that speak to the difficulty of being a Christian. The Lord does not mince words in this passage. Following Him is not the easy road, but it is the road most worth traveling. Yet, how often do we falter and think to give up? Contrast this with another passage where He says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” How do we balance these two? I think the answer is quite easy. Following Christ and being a Christian is not easy, but we are not on the road alone. There is always Jesus.

Now, this is challenging enough as individuals, but when we become parents, we take on the responsibility of teaching our children the same. We are, thus, learning as we are teaching. We want to be the best examples for our children, but we often are not. We want to make life easy for them, or perhaps better than what we experienced, but know that the easy life is not the narrow gate. It seems almost impossible at times, and often we see parents give up.

But those of us with Jesus have Him to guide us along that narrow path. We need to remember that we are not parents alone, but as Christians, born in Him. We have His parents, the Apostles and all the saints, who also struggled to “do unto others” and to “enter through the narrow gate.” No other religion can claim this. It is our inheritance from our Lord and Savior. There is help every step of the way, and our Lord knows this and challenges us, with every expectation that we will make it and we will pass that along to our children.

Ponder:

Which gate will you choose?

Pray:

Lord, please give us the guidance and strength to always choose the narrow gate that leads to life. At those times when we are most challenged, we pray that You will hold our hand as a father does the hand of his child.

Copyright 2024 Dr. Andrew Macdonald

Dr. Macdonald is the Executive Director of Advancement at Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM). He joined HCFM after working for 20 years in international education. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Board of Directors of Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School. He has been married for 34 years and has three children.