The Happy Priest: Never Give Up, Strive to Enter Through the Narrow Gate

The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls self-mastery a training in human freedom.  "The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy" (#2339).  The Catechism goes on to say that "self-mastery is a long and exacting work.  One can never consider it acquired once and for all.  It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life" (#2342).' In today's Gospel we read 'Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.'

P align=justify>CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - The Tour de France, the world famous bicycle race, is well known for its grueling intensity.  Lance Armstrong, born in Plano, Texas and raised in Dallas, has won the race seven times since his first victory in 1999.  Armstrong is not only an outstanding athlete; he is a cancer survivor. 
 
While seemingly at the top of his professional career in 1996, Armstrong's doctor gave him the stunning news that not only did he have cancer, but that the disease had spread to his lungs and brain.  Although he was given a 50% chance of survival, Armstrong began an aggressive chemotherapy treatment that worked.  Amazingly, Lance Armstrong was able to return to the passion that he loved: racing.  However, getting back into racing was not easy.
 
Having left behind the ordeal of chemotherapy and radiation   treatments, Armstrong found himself without a cycling team and without sponsors willing to trust his physical ability to compete again.  However, the United States Postal Service took a big leap of faith and decided to sponsor him. 
 
Armstrong's professional comeback got off to a difficult start.  Early on during the 1998 racing season, during a Paris-Nice bicycle race, he pulled to the side of the road and quit.  Many considered this to be the end of his racing career. But Armstrong was still trying to learn how to live again, let alone race a bike.
 
With the help of his coach and longtime friend, Chris Carmichael, he was able to regain the confidence and courage that led him not only to his first racing victory but also to many others until finally he felt ready for the Tour de France in 1999.
 
His endurance, aggressiveness and understanding of cooperative team strategy allowed him to win the 1999 Tour de France.  Others might have been content with this amazing victory.  Instead, Lance Armstrong added six more Tour de France titles to his list, a world record.  He has become a symbol of hope and inspiration for all those who are challenged with overwhelming obstacles in life.   
 
The end goal of Christianity is eternal life.  The acquisition of this goal demands intense daily effort.  In this Sunday's Gospel narrative, Jesus tells us: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough" (Luke 13: 24).  The spiritual life is not an easy endeavor because of our wounded human nature.  True, Baptism washes away original sin, but we do not have complete control over ourselves.  The spiritual life is a continual battle, a struggle, to overcome sin and by cooperating with grace, be set free to experience the fullness of our redemption.  
 
Because of original sin, our darkened intellect, our weakened will and our disordered passions will often move us in the wrong direction.  Continual effort is necessary to control the inner movement of our ego and allow the presence of grace to take control of our thoughts, desires and actions. The battle of the spiritual life is like walking in a river against the current.  If we do not continue to walk or grab on to a rock, the current will carry us in the opposite direction. 
 
"Because man is a composite being, spirit and body, there already exists a certain tension in him; a certain struggle of tendencies between spirit and flesh develops. But in fact this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin. It is a consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it. It is part of the daily experience of the spiritual battle" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2516).
 
If the spiritual life is a continual struggle because of original sin, the present circumstances of our contemporary culture make this struggle even more difficult.  We have all grown up in a culture that denies us nothing.  Everything is permissible. We tend to view discipline, self-control and virtue with distaste. The producers and writers of television programs, movies, music and other aspects of pop culture know exactly what buttons to push.  Our decadent culture is attractive to fallen human nature.  We find it easy to succumb to any of the seven deadly sins.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls self-mastery a training in human freedom.  "The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy" (#2339).  The Catechism goes on to say that "self-mastery is a long and exacting work.  One can never consider it acquired once and for all.  It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life" (#2342).
 
It is quite possible that when we consider the demands of our spiritual life and experience the continuous bombardment of modern culture, we simply throw up our hands in despair and give in.  Without a doubt, authentic Christianity is difficult to live and demands radical decisions on our part.
 
Although developing and strengthening our spiritual life requires an intense effort, all of our work will only be successful with the help of God's grace.  A daily disciplined regimen of prayer, scripture reading and sacramental life helps to develop those channels of grace through which the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to control ourselves and conquer our baser tendencies.
 
Since the spiritual life is a daily struggle, this means that there are risks involved.  We sin and we fail through human weakness or a lack of ardent love. But the true disciple of Jesus will always get up and begin again.  We must never become discouraged and we must always remember that with Jesus on our side, we can overcome any problem and any obstacle.  With Jesus on our side, we can overcome any sin, any addiction, anything that keeps us from living a happy life.  This is why the Sacrament of Confession is so crucial for perseverance in our journey towards eternal life.  "So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed" (Hebrews 12: 12-13).

Be consistent with your spiritual life.  Form firm habits of daily prayer.  Get to confession every month or whenever necessary.  Be sure to form these habits in your children.   Do not let sloth ruin your personal happiness.  Do not let sloth cause you to lose out on getting to heaven.  Perhaps more people today wind up in hell, separation from God, not because of what they did, but because of what they failed to do.
 
My dear friends let us remember a great story from the 2004 Olympics.  Paul Hamm became the first male gymnast to win the all-around gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.  Hamm needed more than 9.8 points to get out of fourth place in order to win a gold medal for the U.S.  He was still stunned by his having crash-landed on the vault two gymnastic events earlier.  Hamm knew that as he approached the high bar at the Olympic Indoor Hall, the final gymnast in the final event of the men's gymnastics competition, he needed to do the performance of his life.
 
After executing a difficult gymnastic routine, his score of 9.837 was flashed for all to see; he did not understand what had just occurred.  His coach, Miles Avery, did realize what had just happened and, he screamed out in a loud voice, "Olympic champion!"
 
In one of the most dramatic comebacks in sports, with the closest margin of victory in Olympic history, Paul Hamm, became a men's gymnastics hero.  
 
If we struggle every day, we will gain eternal life.  When we enter heaven, Jesus will place on us a gold medal, and everyone in heaven will cry out "Champion!"  "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough".

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Father James Farfaglia, the Happy Priest, is the pastor of Saint Helena of the True Cross of Jesus Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Father has a hard hitting blog called Illegitimi non carborundum.  He has also published a book called Man to Man: A Real Priest Speaks to Real Men about Marriage, Sexuality and Family Life.  You can contact Father at fjficthus@gmail.com.

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