Christ, our Good Shepherd is our gate—our Way—to heaven (John 10:9; 14:6). Jesus spoke about the effort it takes to enter the heavenly gate: “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough” (Luke 13:24). To go through that narrow gate, we must make ourselves small and humble. We can become small by striving to become like little children, like God’s beloved sheep. But why would we have to be “strong enough” to enter into a small door? Shouldn’t you need to just become “small enough”? The answer is both: we must become small and humble to fit through the narrow door. If we’re puffed up and prideful, we won’t fit through!
“The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want” – Psalm 23
Here’s where strength comes in: becoming “small” takes effort. We must practice the virtue of humility, along with the other virtues, to become spiritually fit. One way to grow in humility is by offering “random acts of humility,” such as allowing others to go ahead of you in line, choosing to do menial tasks, giving thanks and praise to God when someone compliments you, really listening when someone is speaking to you, sending sincere thank you notes, or serving the poor in some way.
All that said, we cannot become humble by ourselves. Meekness and humility are almost antithetical to our humanity. We cannot become meek and humble on our own; we must allow Jesus to lead us through His gate.
The Gentle Mastery of Christ
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
As we learn to count on Jesus to take care of us, to be our Good Shepherd, we will be able to adopt an abundance mindset: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). People with an abundance mindset can be humble because they know that there are plenty of good things in life to go around. They understand that one person’s success doesn’t equate to another person’s failure. We can trust in God’s loving providence to provide for us, which will lead to so much more peace. We can rest in Christ when we truly grasp that we are little sheep who are fed and protected by our loving Good Shepherd—there is nothing we shall want (Psalm 23:1).
Mass Readings for the 4th Sunday of Easter
- Acts 2: 14, 36-41
- Psalm 23:1-6
- 1 Peter 2: 20-25
- John 10:1-10