May 7, 2023

Our salvation comes from Jesus alone.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. With these words, our Lord makes it clear that he is the only redeemer of the world. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ – the only begotten Son of God – has defeated for us the snares of sin and death and brought us back to the Father.

We hear these words of Jesus as part of his conversation with his Apostles at the Last Supper. In this teaching moment, the Lord reveals his unique relationship to God the Father. Jesus is actually unpacking the nature of the Holy Trinity to the Apostles, but they will not begin to grasp it until the Holy Spirit brings them to a deeper understanding after Pentecost. The reality of Jesus’ identity is a great and profound revelation, but it is also a deep mystery. While we believe and profess the truth of the Holy Trinity, our minds can never fully grasp the profound nature of the divine.

It is within this awesome reality that Jesus declares that he is the way and the truth and the life. If we understand that Jesus is not simply a wise teacher or religious leader, then we can see that he can reveal the Father to us in a way that no other person can. Jesus is fully divine and fully human. When he gives his life for us, his sacrifice is greater and more profound than any other martyr for any other cause. In his resurrection, and in part in the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals himself to be more than a prophet or even an angel. God sent his Son to take up our sins and to offer the salvation that could only be achieved by an infinite sacrifice.

Because our faith teaches that it is Jesus who redeemed the world – that he came to heal and save all of humanity – we not only begin to understand Christ’s great commission to go out to all the world, but we should desire what he does. That is, it is our mission to continue what he began by preaching the Gospel to the world.

These realities should challenge us to do two things: to commit ourselves to sharing the Gospel of Jesus with others, and to pray for the work of missionaries and preachers around the world. We know that Jesus is the king of heaven, and to live in the joy of heaven we must submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus. We must work and pray to help all people find Jesus present in the Eucharist, and to be united to him forever in heaven.