The Spirit helps us in our weakness

Rom. 8:26-30, Lk. 13:22-30. In today's first reading, Paul reminds us that all things work together for the good of those who seek the will of God. We cannot comprehend fully what the plan of God is. Even when we pray, we cannot pray properly without the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit: "The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." When we invoke the Holy Spirit, we not only pray in accordance with the will of God, we also accept that God can make good things come out of the most trying and difficult situations because we have been invited to share in the life of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus. If we accept the invitation of God, we become one with Jesus and things will fall into place for the ultimate glorification of God.

In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us the road to eternal life which is narrow. When He was asked: “Will there be only a few saved?” Jesus invites everyone to “Strive to enter by the narrow door.” Speculating about how many will be saved is not helpful. Rather than speculate about how many will be saved, we should strive to do the will of God, which is the sure gateway to eternal life. In this dialogue, Jesus puts a high value on human effort and fidelity. It is easy to enter through an ample, wide doorway, but to get through a narrow entrance, we need to be focused and pay attention to what we are doing. By this image, Jesus teaches that staying on the path that leads to life involves struggle and effort. There is a striving involved, even though we are supported by the grace of God and the promptings of the Spirit, it need not be an anxious striving, because the Lord wants us to succeed.

May the Lord bless us for His greater glory, that we shall always find joy in living our lives as Christians to the best of our abilities! Amen!! Good morning and have a wonderful day!!!