![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/613\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Lwgb-BLC47U\/UhtpfS-0F-I\/AAAAAAAACqA\/CO7mPGXPYSQ\/s320\/IMG_6249.JPG\")
<\/a><\/div>\nThe church had been built to comply with the Ottoman building code back in the 1800s. \u00a0Facades of churches could not be seen from the street so churches were built farther in from the street with a building blocking the view in between.<\/p>\n
The normal, somewhat narrow and non-spectacular doorway led to my destination. \u00a0I expected a grand facade, yet I found a simple doorway. \u00a0I thought it\u2019d be easy to find, a typical, obvious church, but finding it was a challenge. \u00a0Yet once I identified the gate and figured out what I needed to do, I went through the gate and was happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrive to enter through the narrow gate\u201d<\/p>\n
The narrow gate to reach salvation, to be saved, can easily be missed. \u00a0Many walk past it without recognizing it. \u00a0Others give up trying to find it, lose hope and despair.
\nJesus does not answer the question posed to him: he does not say whether many will be saved or if few will be saved, he just says to his listener in a very direct manner, \u201cstrive to enter through the narrow gate.\u201d<\/p>\n
What makes the gate so narrow and difficult to enter through?
\nThe second reading gives us some insight.<\/p>\n
Saint Paul speaks about the discipline of the Lord and describes how many lose heart from the difficulties and trials of life. \u00a0We are encouraged to see these trials as a preparation in the same way a father prepares his child for the future through discipline. \u00a0Rather than doubting and losing heart when things get difficult, we are called to strengthen our drooping hands and weak knees; to make straight paths for our feet so what is lame in us will be healed.<\/p>\n
Passing through the narrow gate involves carrying the cross; passing through the narrow gate requires God\u2019s strength and grace; passing through the narrow gates requires the same sacrificial love which led Jesus to the cross.<\/p>\n
Not long ago I encountered a man struggling to keep the faith \u2013 he was a good man who wanted to do things right. \u00a0Even though he saw people around him making money in dishonorable and questionable ways, he wanted to stay on the right path. \u00a0Despite his efforts, his good intentions and good will, no doors seemed to open. \u00a0No work, no money, no possibilities.<\/p>\n
For some time I\u2019ve visited a family with a very sick child who has been hospitalized at least five times since last September. \u00a0After each hospitalization his condition worsens and doctors currently are not painting an optimistic picture. \u00a0There is nothing more heartbreaking as seeing a mother holding her dying baby in her arms, in tears.<\/p>\n
Situations such as these make the gate extremely narrow and very difficult to pass through. \u00a0It is the presence of the cross that makes the path narrow. \u00a0Yet the cross is our path to salvation.<\/p>\n
Many despair, lose faith, and rebel against God because of the cross. \u00a0Yet the cross contains the key to pass through the narrow gate. \u00a0Using Paul\u2019s words again, when we are faced with the cross, we must strengthen our drooping hands and our weak knees so what is lame within us may be strengthened.<\/p>\n
In the same way I went past the gateway into the church without noticing that was the path into the church, so many times we walk past the cross and fail to find in it our salvation; we fail to see in it the narrow gate.<\/p>\n
May Our Savior who comes into our midst give us the grace and strength to carry the cross and with it pass through the narrow gate into his kingdom. \u00a0May he strengthen our drooping hands and weak knees, so all that is lame within us may be strengthened.<\/p>\n
Pictures are mine, all rights reserved<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Five years ago on Easter Sunday afternoon, I arrived to the fascinating city of Istanbul, Turkey. \u00a0I visited Istanbul for a few days and traveled south to visit incredible archaeological sites like Perganum and Ephesus, including the house of the Virgin Mary.\u00a0\u00a0The following Sunday morning I was back in Istanbul and I went looking for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
The Narrow Gate of the Cross<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Five years ago on Easter Sunday afternoon, I arrived to the fascinating city of Istanbul, Turkey. \u00a0I visited Istanbul for a few days and traveled south to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/08\/the-narrow-gate-of-the-cross.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Narrow Gate of the Cross\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Five years ago on Easter Sunday afternoon, I arrived to the fascinating city of Istanbul, Turkey. \u00a0I visited Istanbul for a few days and traveled south to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/08\/the-narrow-gate-of-the-cross.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Labyrinthine Mind\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-08-26T10:49:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-03-25T23:26:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/files\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-I47u5NcUCrI\/UhtppbkAP7I\/AAAAAAAACqI\/Fr1-QSvLvQM\/s320\/IMG_2881.JPG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/08\/the-narrow-gate-of-the-cross.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/08\/the-narrow-gate-of-the-cross.html\",\"name\":\"The Narrow Gate of the Cross\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-08-26T10:49:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-03-25T23:26:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\"},\"description\":\"Five years ago on Easter Sunday afternoon, I arrived to the fascinating city of Istanbul, Turkey. \u00a0I visited Istanbul for a few days and traveled south to\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/08\/the-narrow-gate-of-the-cross.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/08\/the-narrow-gate-of-the-cross.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/08\/the-narrow-gate-of-the-cross.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Narrow Gate of the Cross\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/\",\"name\":\"Labyrinthine Mind\",\"description\":\"Seeking God in the labyrinth\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\",\"name\":\"Father Pablo Migone\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Father Pablo Migone\"},\"description\":\"Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Father Pablo Migone was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2009 after studying at the Pontifical North American College and earning a Masters in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy. 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<\/a><\/div>\n