Jesus invites us to take the narrow path (Mt 7:13). He warns that there are alluring alternatives, seemingly wide open trails that will call out to us, promising the good life, but which, in reality, will rob us of our dignity, discard us, and leave us broken on the side of the road (Lk 10:30). The middle way, rather, is straight and direct. It is a kind of non-path, the line where heaven and earth, thinking and feeling, spirit and flesh come together. It is not passable by our own human efforts; we must instead be drawn very carefully, one trusting step at a time, along the way. The pressure of this path – with nowhere to escape and nothing to clasp onto – is unbearable at first, but we gradually learn that we are being formed and shaped, stripped of our old selves, and Christified, and before we know it, our feet are somehow standing in the gates of Jerusalem (Ps 122:2). The next time, therefore, we are tempted to lean right or lean left, let’s pause, wait and listen for the Lord to speak into that narrow space between intention and action: “This is the way, walk in it!” (Is 30:21). Ave Crux, Spes Unica.
November 15, 2025
Published