The narrow gate

[Irourparr]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

You plead with fervor for your husband’s soul, desiring that he find the narrow gate. This is a good and right desire. The way is indeed narrow, and many are weighed down by the fatness of worldly cares, so that they cannot enter. Our Lord Himself said with wonder, “How narrow is the way that leadeth unto life!” And we make it narrower still when we cling to riches and ease. So it may be that God, in His mercy, must strip away those superfluous things that encumber him, even permitting the breaking of earthly attachments, so that he may see clearly that Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life. Do not be afraid when affliction comes; for the Apostle says, “Whether we be afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation.” The sufferings that visit us are often the very chisel by which God carves out a lean and teachable soul.

Yet remember the woman at the well. When she sought the living water, our Lord did not immediately grant her request. Instead, He said, “Go, call thy husband.” He probed her life, exposing her hidden shame, not to humiliate, but to heal. She did not flee; she perceived that He was a prophet and then pressed after heavenly doctrine. So too your husband may need to be confronted with the truth of his own soul before he can receive the gift. But this is God’s work alone. Pray that He would both open the eyes of his understanding and unveil the Gospel, for a veil lies over the heart, and unless it is removed, no one can see the light of the glory of Christ.

Do not, however, imagine that harshness from you will profit. The wife who pleases her husband wins him not through sharp words or constant pressure, but through gentleness, meekness, and a quiet spirit. The fear of God in your own life, shining forth in modest and orderly conduct, will be a stronger witness than many arguments. Be as the Church is to Christ, in submission and reverence; let your chaste behavior speak when you are silent. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church, and He is the Savior of the body. So commit your husband to God, who alone can save.

Pray without ceasing, then, but pray with this wisdom: ask not that the man himself be broken, but that the hardness of his heart be shattered; that the veil of unbelief be torn away, that the cords of sin be severed. The narrow gate stands before him; may the Lord grant him to become lean enough to press through, stripped of everything that hinders, and enter into life while the door still stands open.