My mom’s Uncle George was a taciturn cattleman whose eyes
betrayed a shrewd intelligence. I gather that he teased my mom unmercifully
when she was a child and a young woman. However, after her beloved father died
of a brain tumor when she was in her mid twenties, my mom was able to lean on
Uncle George, and it was he who walked her down the aisle at her wedding.
I suspect that my mom’s uncle came to mind yesterday because
in the Gospel reading Jesus said “I am the gate,” and Uncle George’s last name
was Gates (changed from the German Goetz when he immigrated to the United
States). If we are to imitate Christ in all things, then we too should attempt
to be gates for others, as Uncle George was a gateway to the understanding of
God’s support and protection for my mom.
Although Christ is the primary gate by which we come to
know God, we can be smaller gateways to God’s love, compassion, mercy, wisdom,
and steadfastness for others. By being open conduits of the life of God flowing
through us, we can invite others to overcome obstacles and join us on the way. When
others knock, may we be a gate that leads to fuller life in Christ!
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