Entering Through the Narrow Gate
By Fenelon
The kingdom of heaven is not to be entered but by violence: it must be taken, as it were, by assault, like a besieged place. The gate is strait and narrow; we must bow, we must bend, we must make ourselves little to gain admittance. The great gate which opens wide, and is passed by multitudes, leads to perdition. All broad and smooth ways are dangerous. Wo to us when the world favor us, and our life seems void of trouble! Crosses and difficulties are the surest marks of the way to heaven. Let us be aware, therefore, of going on with the multitude, and let us seek traces of the few; let us follow the footsteps of the saints along the craggy paths of repentance, climbing over the rocks, seeking secure places in the sweat of our faces, and expecting that the last step of our lives should be a violent struggle to enter the narrow gate of eternity.—Fenelon.