Today’s Gospel contains one of the most famous sentences Jesus ever spoke:
“Treat others as you would like them to treat you.”
Sometimes we call it the Golden Rule.
Simple enough for a child to understand.
Difficult enough to occupy us for a lifetime.
But before Jesus gives us that rule, He speaks about something else.
He speaks about the narrow gate.
The narrow way.
The path that leads to life.
And that helps us understand what the Golden Rule really means.
Because Jesus is not teaching mere politeness.
He is teaching holiness.
The world often tells us that the easiest path is the best path.
Do what feels right.
Take the comfortable option.
Avoid sacrifice.
Avoid difficulty.
Avoid commitment.
Take the broad road.
Jesus says something very different.
The broad road is easy.
But it does not lead where people think it leads.
The narrow road is harder.
But it leads to life.
We see that in the first reading.
The mighty Assyrian Empire stands before Jerusalem.
Its armies have conquered nation after nation.
Its king mocks God.
Mocks God’s people.
Mocks God’s promises.
Humanly speaking, the situation is hopeless.
King Hezekiah does something remarkable.
He goes into the Temple.
He spreads the threatening letter before the Lord.
And he prays.
That is such a beautiful image.
He does not rely first on military strength.
He does not rely first on political strategy.
He places the problem before God.
And God’s answer is simple.
The city will not fall.
Not because Jerusalem is strong.
But because God is faithful.
The mighty army that seemed unstoppable disappears.
The threat vanishes.
The Lord acts.
The lesson is clear.
The broad road says:
Trust power.
Trust wealth.
Trust yourself.
The narrow road says:
Trust God.
St Etheldreda understood that lesson.
She was born into wealth.
She became a queen.
She possessed everything many people dream about.
Position.
Influence.
Security.
Comfort.
Yet she recognised that none of those things could satisfy the deepest longing of the human heart.
She chose a different path.
A harder path.
A narrower path.
A life dedicated to Christ.
Eventually she founded the great monastery at Ely and became one of the most beloved saints of England.
The world would probably have thought she was giving things up.
In reality she had discovered something greater.
That is always the secret of the saints.
They do not merely renounce things.
They find a treasure worth more.
And that brings us back to the Golden Rule.
Why should we treat others as we wish to be treated?
Because every person is made in the image of God.
Because every person has eternal value.
Because every person is someone Christ died to save.
The broad road says:
“What can I get?”
The narrow road says:
“What can I give?”
The broad road says:
“Look after yourself first.”
The narrow road says:
“Love your neighbour.”
The broad road says:
“Take.”
The narrow road says:
“Give.”
That sounds simple.
Yet think how different our families would be if everyone lived that way.
How different marriages would be.
How different schools would be.
How different workplaces would be.
How different parishes would be.
Most conflicts begin because somebody asks:
“What do I deserve?”
The saints ask:
“What does charity require?”
That is the narrow road.
And it is narrow not because God wants life to be difficult.
It is narrow because love always requires self-sacrifice.
It requires patience.
Forgiveness.
Generosity.
Humility.
Those things never come naturally to fallen human beings.
They are learned through grace.
The broad road is crowded because it follows our instincts.
The narrow road is narrower because it follows Christ.
Yet the wonderful thing is this:
The narrow road is not lonely.
Christ walks it before us.
The saints walk it with us.
And at the end of it stands eternal life.
Today St Etheldreda reminds us that holiness is worth more than comfort.
Hezekiah reminds us that trust in God is stronger than fear.
And Jesus reminds us that the path to life is not found in living for ourselves but in loving God and loving our neighbour.
It may be the narrower road.
But it is the only road that leads home.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 