Monday
of the 4th Week of Easter
April 18, 2016 8:30am
Readings: Acts
1.1-18
John
10.1-10
We all know that a gate, any
gate, provides a way in and a way out.
It could be a gate to a garden or
a stadium or any number of places.
Today, in the gospel, Jesus
describes himself as “the gate for the
sheep” – the gate of the pen where the sheep are kept at night.
I find this image of Jesus as a “gate” very helpful for understanding
the two basic movements of the spiritual life.
The first movement is in – going
in.
As a gate, Jesus leads us to our
inner selves.
We can find God right there,
within ourselves.
So, we should put ourselves down
or get carried away with our sinfulness.
The truth is that God is within
us.
This is why some silence in our
lives and in our prayer life is important.
In the silence, we can come in
contact with God who is within.
Jesus, as a “gate,” invites us
within.
This is the first movement of the
spiritual life.
And, of course, a gate is also a
way out.
This going out of ourselves is
the second movement.
Jesus moves us to find God
outside of ourselves too – in creation, in each other.
Maybe we go to another person, a
mentor, a person in whom we find God and who can lead us closer to God.
Maybe we have to identify the
good in others and grow it, especially those who have been in some kind of
trouble or whom we do not like.
And maybe we just have to work
with others in some project that does good for God’s people on this earth.
Jesus, as a “gate,” invites us outside of ourselves.
That is the second movement in
the spiritual life.
These two movements almost
summarize the spiritual life and captured in this wonderful image of the “gate.”
