I Am the Gate

In this Sunday's Gospel we hear Jesus refer to himself by saying, "I am the gate." Often when we, in our age of mass private property ownership and fear of strangers, think about a gate we see it as a way to keep things either in or out. Many pet owners have experienced the sinking feeling of leaving the gate open and the dog getting out, and then the sometimes arduous process of coaxing the dog back home.

However, when Jesus today refers to himself as the gate, he is not speaking in terms of restricting access. On the contrary, he is announcing himself as opening the way to the Father! He even says, "Whoever enters through me will be saved." And not only does Jesus promise salvation, but also tells us that he came so that we might "have life and have it more abundantly." Jesus wants as many people as possible to come to know the Father and to enter into eternal life!

Moving forward along in the story of the Christian people, in the first reading we hear St. Peter telling the people plainly that if they want to be saved, they must "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." And then in the second reading, from the First Letter of St. Peter, we also hear, "He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." These proclamations continue making clear Jesus' message: by his life, death, and resurrection, he has indeed opened to us the Way to the Father!

So, let us pray this week that we may grow in faith and hope in Jesus as our way! Through him we have the forgiveness of our sins. By the Sacrament of Baptism, which he instituted, we are brought into the family of God in the Church, where we continue to encounter the mercy of the Father given to us through Jesus' death and resurrection. May we be confident in the graces that come to us through Jesus, the gate and way to the Father, and know that Jesus wants to give us abundant life, right here and now!

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings this Sunday's Mass.