He died to give us the gift of salvation but what good is a gift if it is not used? Children’s favourite gifts are obvious: they are battered, colour and texture dulled by handling, perhaps bits are broken off! Similarly we do not get a new car to admire it in the garage. If these gifts are so obviously used should not the precious gift of salvation be even more treasured and worn?

If we leave the gift of salvation on the shelf, then certainly we will be turned away from heaven as unknown. We need to not only open this great gift but the map that comes with it – the instructions in the Bible. It isn’t rocket science! Spread the word, be proud of what Jesus has done, follow His example.

How do I stand up to this challenge? Do I come to the sacrifice of the Mass as a spectator, or do I bring my own sacrifices with me to lay down on the Altar with Christ’s Body and Blood? How often do I talk to Him each day – 30 minutes, 15 minutes, 5 minutes? Do I reach out when neighbours, known or unknown, need help? Do I stand for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death or accept society’s view that it is all negotiable? Do I stand up for the sanctity of marriage or accept the world’s view that anything goes in relationships? So many questions for us.

As I ponder this, I realise more and more how much I need the grace of reconciliation to keep me strong enough to travel on that narrow road, rather than walking with the herd on the wide one, which appears to be heading in the wrong direction.

I want to achieve heaven and spend eternity with God rather than face the heat!

Salvation is not one-sided, it is a partnership and I have to do my part. Let us all be seen to be at least trying to keep on that narrow road.

Deidre Herring