wordoflife february 2010 “i am the gate. whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and...
TRANSCRIPT
“I am the gate.Whoever
enters by mewill be saved,
and will come inand go out
and find pasture ”
(Jn 10,9) .
Jesus presents himself
as the one who fulfils
the divine promises
and
the expectations
of a people
whose history is
marked
by its covenant, which
has never been
cancelled,
with its God
The idea of the gate is both like and explained clearlyby another image that Jesus used: “I am the way ... No one comes to the Father except through me”.
Therefore he is truly a path and an open gateleading to the Father, to God himself.
There are many thingsthat can be drawn out
from other Gospel passages related to
these wordsin John’s gospel.
But from among them let’s choose the one
about the ‘narrow gate’ we must strive to go
through to enter into life.
Why choose this one? Because it seems that
perhaps it is the closest to the truth Jesus tells us about
himself,the one that best
throws lighton how to live it.
When did Jesus become the gate, flung wide, completely open
to the Trinity?In the very momentthe gate of heaven
seemed shut to him,he became the gate
to heaven for all of us.
Jesus forsaken on the cross
is the gate through whichthe perfect exchange
between God and humankind takes place.
In making himself nothing, Jesus unites the children
to the Father. He is that emptiness,
the space in the gateway, where human beings come
into contact with Godand God comes into contact with human
beings. So he is at the same time
the narrow gate and the gate flung wide, and we can experience
this.
“I am the gate.Whoever
enters by mewill be saved,
and will come inand go out
and find pasture ”
(Jn 10,9) .
In his forsakenness on the cross, Jesus becameour access to the Father. His part has been done.
But to have the good that comes from so much grace,we must, each one, do our small part, which means
to go up to that gate and pass through it. How?
When we are taken aback by disappointment, damaged by trauma
or a misfortune coming out of the blue or an illnessthat makes no sense, we can always remember the suffering
of Jesus. He in taking on himself all these trials, and a thousand others too,
is the personification of them all.
Yes, he is present in everythingthat speaks of suffering.
Every suffering of ours bears his name.
So let’s try, then, to recognise Jesusin every hardship, life’s tough
situations, in all the darkness, our personal tragedies and those of
others, in the sufferings of humanity around us. They are all him, because
he has made them his.
It’s enough to say to him, with faith, “You, Lord, are my only good”. It’s enough to do something practical to lessen
‘his’ sufferingsin the poor and the sorrowful, so as to go through the gate
and find beyond it a joy never experienced before,a new fullness of life.
“Word of Life”, monthly publication of the Focolare Movement.
Original text by: Chiara Lubich, April 1999.
Graphic design by Anna Lollo in collaboration with Fr. Placido D’Omina (Sicily - Italy)
This commentary on the Word of Life is translated in 96 languages,
and it reaches millions of people throughout the world through the press, radio, TV
and internet – for more information visit www.focolare.org
This Powerpoint presentation is translated in various languages
and is published on www.santuariosancalogero.org
“I am the gate.Whoever
enters by mewill be saved,
and will come inand go out
and find pasture ” (Jn 10,9) .