I knew someone who was a professional racing car driver. When asked what he liked about racing, he said he enjoyed the challenge of getting himself and the car prepared for race day. "When they wave the green flag, you have to be ready," he said. "The race isn't going to wait for you if you haven't properly prepared."

In today's Gospel reading, someone asks Jesus, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?"

When I read this, I wondered why someone would ask this kind of question. Is he concerned about the population in heaven - that it might get a little crowded if lots of people are admitted? Or is he concerned that there will be too few people in the afterlife, that it might be like a small town with few diversions? I don't know why anyone would be worried about how many people get to be "saved."

Jesus' response to the man seems to indicate that getting into heaven is not a matter of how much room there is in heaven, but how much time there is for us to align our lives with God. The door, we are told, will not be open forever. So rather than worry about whether it will be crowded or thinly populated, we might be better off focusing on our own spiritual journeys right now.

How many will be saved? That's kind of like asking how many cars will finish a race. The answer is, those that are most ready. But the real question we should be asking ourselves is whether we are ready to follow Jesus right now.

Life is full of unexpected challenges and opportunities. Unlike a car race, we aren't told when the green flag will drop. God doesn't give us a printed schedule for the events of our lives. We have to be ready at all times to make decisions that will shape our futures. A loved one gets ill or dies, we fall in love, a career ends, a new job opportunity arrives - these are not the times to begin reflecting on our spiritual lives, but when we must rely on the preparation we've already done.

Of course, it isn't just the big events of our lives that present opportunities. They come in the form of ordinary situations as well --- strangers in our path, friends and family in need. We have many opportunities to respond with anger or frustration or love and compassion to those around us.

The gateway to the kingdom of God is narrow, Jesus tells us. It is not easy to get through. Perhaps it is not even easy to see by the untrained eye. So we must be prepared, lest we miss it.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.