In this ordinary time, Jesus walks his way with his disciples through villages and towns, teaching by words and deeds. That’s his job, the work he is assigned to do and for which he has been sent by his “boss,” the Father. This makes him the missionary par excellence. He knows the objective of his mission: to bring as many people as possible “from the east and the west and from the north  and the south” to the kingdom, so they can all “recline at the table” of his Father. But he knows, too, that all is not going to be easy; there is a price each one has to pay: one can enter the kingdom only “through the narrow gate.”

The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews speaks of a “discipline” which is essential if one is to win the ultimate prize. “Endure your trials as discipline,” says the epistle, “all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.” These words of wisdom are worth bearing in mind at all times, especially when we are experiencing hard knocks and going through struggles and difficulties; all this is life’s “narrow gate” which tests our ability for endurance. We don’t expect the best of things to be served to us on the proverbial silver platter.

Think of the people whom we used silently to envy, those who enjoyed their lives in games and pleasures as we were forced  in our youth to bury ourselves in work and study. Today, most likely, we look at these people with no small amount of pity for the times they had in fact wasted. Indeed, we have to delay the gratification of today in order to reap the pleasures of tomorrow. We need to walk life’s narrow gate in order to merit the pearl of great price.