The image of a gate is frequently used in the biblical tradition. When the image is about a gate being open, the message is one of welcome and opportunity even for strangers. When the image is about a gate being closed, the message is one of protection and of careful scrutiny for all those who try to enter.

Old Testament imagery

In biblical history everything happened at the gates of the city: meetings were held at the gates, business was conducted at the gates, addresses of public figures were made at the gates and judgements were given at the gates of the city. The gates became identified with the city and to receive the keys of the city was a symbol of power.     

The city was Jerusalem for which God had a special love. A pilgrim entering the city was searching for unity with God, security in life and peace. However, there were conditions for entry: fidelity to the Covenant and a life of justice.

In too many cases the people did not meet the conditions. They lived in infidelity. The prophet Jeremiah responded to this pastoral fact at the gates of the city. He told the city of Jerusalem that it must remove the evil from within it rather than shut its gates if it is to become holy. The people refused and eventually both the temple and the city were destroyed.   

The teaching of Genesis had made it clear that the gates of paradise were closed as a result of sin. After the temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed, the people began to understand the message. They began to pray for a reopening of the gates of heaven and for a shepherd to lead Israel through the narrow gate to establish a new and lasting union with God.

New Testament imagery

Jesus is God’s answer to the prayers of the people. Jesus becomes the gatekeeper. He holds the keys to the kingdom and through him people will have access to the Father.

Similar to the Old Testament tradition there are demands to enter the city of God. The demands of Jesus are faith, obedience and conversion. If the demands are not met, the gates will be shut. Jesus not only holds the keys to eternal life (heaven), he holds the keys to eternal death (hell).

His kingdom is more powerful than the kingdom of Satan. The imagery of the Book of Revelation is important. It tells us that the heavenly Jerusalem has 12 gates. These gates are always open to all people. Yet evil does not enter the heavenly city.

Biblical teaching and life  

The gospels according to Matthew and Luke consider the question of which way of life should we follow to enter the kingdom? Both gospels respond in the same way. They instruct the person to try to enter the kingdom through the “narrow gate”.

The term “narrow gate” was used in biblical times for the pedestrian gate of the city which was wide enough for people to enter but not for what would now be called vehicular traffic. The second part of the gospel instruction contrasts the narrow gate with the wide gate which many follow and which leads to destruction.

The teaching of the two gospels is the foundation for the so-called two ways (“way” being a biblical word that means moral behaviour). One way, which is wide, is the way that the evil inclinations of the human person find easy to follow. Unfortunately, it leads to ruin.

The second way, which is narrow, is much more difficult and rigorous. It challenges the evil inclinations of human nature. However, it leads to eternal life. 
The theology of the two ways has become the foundation for a number of classic spiritualities in the Catholic Church.

Guidance for life

The application of the biblical teaching on the narrow gate leads us to consider two other very important questions for the Christian life:

Moral theology

Moral theology is about life in Christ or to put it another way, it is about living the truth in love. It is important to note that the Catechism of the Catholic Church does not consider moral theology until the catechesis on the Creed and the Sacraments has been completed. Moral theology does not stand on its own in isolation.

It is related to other theological disciplines in the Church. Moral theology is about values, decisions and behaviour. Christians are to be “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” Rom. 6, 11).

For moral theology to be a clear guide to believers about the newness of life in Christ, it must be presented in a very broad catechesis. The Catechism of the Catholic Church recommends the following catechetical context for moral theology: a catechesis of the Holy Spirit and grace; a catechesis of the beatitudes; a catechesis of sin and forgiveness; a catechesis of the human and Christian virtues and finally an ecclesial catechesis through which the Christian life grows and develops.

Magisterium

The teaching authority of the Church (the magisterium) is a service to the believing community. The power of the keys is the usual designation for the authority of the Church, especially Peter and his successors, to govern and to guide based on the Catholic tradition. The power to bind and loose refers to the authority to forgive sin, to make doctrinal judgments and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church.

Conclusion
We live in a time of confusion of values and at a time when many people are being carried through life uncritically by cultural trends. Objectively speaking, it is essential that the Catholic community protect itself by voluntarily opening itself to the guidance available in the Scriptures, the tradition of the Church and magisterium. The Church will not lead people into error in faith and morals.

Luke’s gospel says there are few who seek the narrow gate and Matthew’s gospel tells us there are few who find it. The responsibility of the Church is to invite everyone to walk through the narrow gate and to support them in the process. While walking through the narrow gate is demanding, it also leads people to peace and salvation.