Dear St. Paul Family and Friends, Our Gospel this weekend begins with a question many of us even today still ask: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus does not categorically respond to the question. Rather, he says: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate…”

We know that God desires that everyone be saved. Our first reading affirms this: “Thus says the LORD: I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.” So it is not really a question of how many will be saved, but how can everyone be saved.

Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” The Greek text uses “agonizomai” which means “to struggle.” It is to contend as if one engages in an athletic competition. It means to struggle very hard despite of the danger and difficulty.

There was a boy, who while playing outdoors, found a caterpillar. He was so fascinated that he decided to put it in a jar and take care of it. Every day, the boy would put small plants for the caterpillar to eat. One day, the boy observed that the caterpillar climbed up the plant and was acting strangely, so he asked his mother what was happening. His mother explained that the caterpillar was making a cocoon and that was part of a butterfly’s metamorphosis. His fascination grew all the more that every day, he would watch the caterpillar.

Days after, he observed that there was already a hole in the cocoon and the butterfly was struggling to come out through the hole. But the butterfly looked so desperate and seemingly not making any progress. The boy became overly concerned and decided to help it. He took a scissor and cut the cocoon that was covering the butterfly so it could come out easily. Finally, the butterfly came out. But sadly, it didn’t look that good. Its body was swollen and small and its wings, shriveled. The boy waited for the butterfly to spread its wings and fly, but it never happened.

He asked his mother why. His mother said, “My child, the struggle is part of a butterfly’s metamorphosis. As it struggles, bodily fluid is released, making its body strong and its wings beautiful. Without this struggle, it shall never become a beautiful butterfly.”

The road to eternal life is narrow. It is necessary to contend, to struggle, to strive. Without it, we will never become the beautiful creation God intended us to be. Our second reading phrases it this way: “Endure your trials as “discipline.” At the time, 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.”