Today's Reflections
The Golden Rule
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Mt 7:6, 12-14
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
12“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.
13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”
Reflection:
Enter through the narrow gate. The saying, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you,” known since the 18th century as “the Golden Rule,” is found in both positive and negative forms in pagan and Jewish sources, both earlier and later than the gospel. What we wish from others we must also do to them. The rule may be considered a summary of the law and the prophets. It requires right and moral behavior towards God. We treat other people with the right behavior that is pleasing to God and in conformity with God’s will.
When we do God’s will, we are entering the narrow gate into the kingdom of heaven and walking the constricted road that leads to eternal life. Being narrow and constricted, the road requires sacrifice and effort, self-denial and self-giving, and the rejection of human comfort and the easy way out. The narrow gate may mean forgiving without counting the cost, helping without expecting any reward, living simply in total dependence on God, assisting people who make our life difficult, and carrying our cross after Jesus.
There is no shortcut to success. Blessings always entail sacrifices. To achieve is to work harder. To aim higher is to strive more. Determination and discipline are means to reach the top. Perseverance and patience lead us to the first place. Easter Sunday comes only after Good Friday. The narrow gate opens into the constricted road that leads to eternal life.
Have you entered the narrow gate?Are you walking on the constricted road?
http://graceandspace.org
Mt 7:6, 12-14
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
12“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.
13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”
Reflection:
Enter through the narrow gate. The saying, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you,” known since the 18th century as “the Golden Rule,” is found in both positive and negative forms in pagan and Jewish sources, both earlier and later than the gospel. What we wish from others we must also do to them. The rule may be considered a summary of the law and the prophets. It requires right and moral behavior towards God. We treat other people with the right behavior that is pleasing to God and in conformity with God’s will.
When we do God’s will, we are entering the narrow gate into the kingdom of heaven and walking the constricted road that leads to eternal life. Being narrow and constricted, the road requires sacrifice and effort, self-denial and self-giving, and the rejection of human comfort and the easy way out. The narrow gate may mean forgiving without counting the cost, helping without expecting any reward, living simply in total dependence on God, assisting people who make our life difficult, and carrying our cross after Jesus.
There is no shortcut to success. Blessings always entail sacrifices. To achieve is to work harder. To aim higher is to strive more. Determination and discipline are means to reach the top. Perseverance and patience lead us to the first place. Easter Sunday comes only after Good Friday. The narrow gate opens into the constricted road that leads to eternal life.
Have you entered the narrow gate?Are you walking on the constricted road?
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