The Narrow Gate

As you cross the Ohio River, leaving Cincinnati.

There’s a sign on the bridge that says

Welcome to Kentucky – Gateway to the South.

Harold Reese grew up in Kentucky.

He loved baseball, and as a boy he'd go whenever he could to Crosley Field.

The historic home of Cincinnati Reds.

Some years later he was there again for one of the great moments in baseball.

A great moment, but not a proud moment for Cincinnati fans.

In the Spring of 1947 the Brooklyn Dodgers came to town.

They brought with them their new teammate, Jackie Robinson.

The only black player in all of Major League Baseball.

Cincinnati was the southern-most city in the major leagues.

And Robinson had received hate mail and even death threats

Warning him he’d better not dare to play there.

But now, the Dodgers were on the field.

Warming up for the game.

And Jackie Robinson was there, playing 1^st base.

Many in the crowd and in the Reds dugout were taunting Robinson.

Trying to belittle him with racial name-calling.

Harold Reese, the Kentucky southerner, was on the field too.

He was now the star player and captain of the Dodgers—

Better known as Pee Wee Reese.

As the jeering grew, Reese stopped the warm-ups.

He left his shortstop position.

And walked across the field.

He stood beside Robinson, draped his arm over Robinson’s shoulder,

And stared at the Reds and the fans.

He stood there until he had shamed the crowd to silence.

Surely there were many in the crowd who didn’t join in the taunting.

And who knew that the hecklers were wrong.

They may have even been uncomfortable with the taunting.

But they chose to take the easy path.

The broad road, along with the crowd, to the wide gate.

They did nothing to stop the harassment.

Pee Wee Reese chose to take the constricted road—he found the narrow gate.

We may never be called to act in so public a way as Harold Reese.

But we’ll often find ourselves in situations where we need to choose a course.

Where we see that we have two options on how to proceed.

Where one road is easy, and the other is not so easy.

And our inner voice is telling us that the not-so-easy course is the right course.

Today in the Gospel, Jesus is telling us to follow that inner voice.

Tuesday 12th Week Ordinary Time

Mt 7:6-14      Read this Scripture @usccb.org