“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.”
As Jesus makes His way to Jerusalem, someone asks Him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” His answer doesn’t give numbers, it gives a challenge, to strive. The narrow door is not a hidden gate for an elite few, but the difficult, grace filled way of humility, perseverance and trust in God.
St Augustine and St Monica Striving with Patience and Prayer
The life of St Augustine shows how hard and how possible it is to pass through the narrow door. For years, Augustine lingered outside, fascinated by truth but chained by desire and pride. His mother, St Monica, strove for him through tears, prayer, and patient endurance. She would not give up, trusting in the mercy of the God who was quietly shaping her son’s heart.
When Augustine finally surrendered, after hearing the words “Take and read”, through the letters of St Paul, he stepped onto the narrow path, not by his own willpower alone, but by grace. The narrow door, though challenging, had been held open for him all along.
When I was eleven, I chose Monica as my Confirmation name. At the time, I had no real sense of the impact she would have on my life. I could not have imagined how, as a teacher and now a leader in formation, her story of steadfast prayer, patient accompaniment, and tireless hope would become a model for my vocation.
St Monica has taught me that guiding others in faith is less about force and more about faithful presence, walking with them toward the narrow door, even when the journey is long and the outcome uncertain.
The Witness of the Young Pilgrim Teachers
Recently, I had the privilege of walking alongside a group of young teachers on pilgrimage through Greece and Rome, for the Jubilee of Youth. Like Augustine, they were seekers, some perhaps unsure of exactly what God would do with their openness. Yet again and again, I saw them willing to step into moments that required courage, humility, and trust, praying in unfamiliar settings, entering into deep conversations about faith, and showing vulnerability before God and one another.
Their willingness to “go through the narrow door” was not in grand gestures but in small, consistent choices, like choosing prayer over distraction, community over comfort, service over self. In the heat, the crowds, and the long days, they embodied the striving Jesus speaks of leaning into the journey with the hope that it leads to the feast of the Kingdom.
The Gospel Challenge for Us
Luke’s Gospel, the persistence of St Monica, the conversion of St Augustine, and the witness of these young teachers all leave us with the same invitation…
- Will we be content to know about God, or will we walk with God in daily obedience and love?
- Will we pray and hope for others as persistently as Monica did for Augustine?
- Will we accept the narrowness of the door not as God’s harshness, but as the way He shapes us for eternal life?
In the end, the narrow door is Christ Himself. As Augustine discovered, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” And as I witnessed on pilgrimage, hearts that strive together toward that door will one day find themselves seated together at the feast of the Kingdom.
by Virginia Fortunat