The narrow door to our pre-destiny

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are the source of much theological study and effort. Friar Jude Winkler offers a concise and clear discussion of prayer, the Spirit, predestination and the narrow door to salvation. I am reminded how we sometimes feel so badly that people we care for have not embraced what we consider to be essential for their fullness of life. Our struggle is the minor one and perhaps by witnessing it our beloved will look inside. The Spirit is the force which not only calls us to be in prayer with God but is the deepening force which moves us to the realization of Paul (and Friar Jude) that through the Spirit we become aware of the plan of the divine for our lives. It is a unique plan which is all for our deepening in intimate relationship with the Divine. The Gospel of Luke indicates the truth that our pursuit of this intimacy must be genuine and in the measure that we have been graced by God to have vision and experience of the journey. If we have been graced with ten talents, we need to pursue our pre destiny with the intensity and power that is proportional to our gifts. The narrow gate does not allow us to pass through without sincere commitment to living the gifts as the psalmist proclaims "he has dealt bountifully with me"