There are lots of things in life that feel like they’re driven by progress or constant busyness. We feel like we constantly need to improve, that there’s somewhere we always need to be going, that there’s always something else to get done on our bucket list. There hardly feels like there’s any peace in our life, and instead there’s mostly anxiety and weariness. It can come from all sorts of things—work, family responsibilities. It can feel like it all relies on us.
Sometimes that includes how we approach our relationship with Christ. It can feel like just another thing—something else I have to get done, something I just have to try harder at. But the last thing we want is burnout in our faith.
The apostle Philip in last week’s Gospel says what we might sometimes be feeling: “Jesus, just show us the Father.” Just let me see what awaits in heaven. Just tell me what I need to do, and that’s enough. I’ll work on being good in the Father’s eyes. I’ll try to do better at work, be more patient with my family, do more good works. But none of these things on their own are enough. None of them make us worthy for eternal life. Instead, it is Jesus who does so. He is the life we must live, because no one comes to the Father except through Him.
Knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life—that’s the easy part. The problem isn’t usually a lack of knowledge. It’s that we don’t want to accept what that means for us.
Jesus is the way. Without Him, we would have no way to get to heaven. He showed us the path to follow: the way of the cross. We must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. How often do I know there’s something I need to address, but I keep putting it off? What are the crosses in my life that I’m meant to bear and grow from, but instead I avoid? Do I examine my day to see where I failed to stay on the path—or where God helped me succeed?
The way is not easy. But Christ would rather we limp along after Him than walk away entirely. He would rather receive us again and again in confession than see us drift further from Him.
Jesus is the truth. What He said in Scripture is just as relevant today. We know we are called to know it. But it’s easy to focus only on the parts we like—“Do not be afraid,” “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” We remember the commandments. But what about the rest? The call to live the Beatitudes, to seek happiness not through personal gain but through self-gift, to proclaim the Gospel even when it’s uncomfortable?
The truth is more than a set of facts. It’s something we must ask: what does this mean for me? How does this change my life? The truth is someone we are meant to cling to, especially when it is difficult, when it feels like it hurts more than it helps.
Because in the end, Jesus is the life—not only eternal life, but life now. Why do we follow His way and care about His truth? Because we want the life He has. His life was lived for others, yet fully His own. Even when rejected, He was not consumed by anxiety or shame. He knew He was doing the Father’s will.
Our second reading reminds us that He is the living stone we are meant to come to. We often ask, “How do I improve my life? What do I need to build?” But life in Christ doesn’t work like that. It’s not just about our effort.
We complain about road construction—how slow it is, how many obstacles there are. Yet we often do the same thing in our relationship with Christ. If we want to grow in holiness and experience peace, we must stop putting obstacles in the way. We must accept what Jesus says will bring us happiness.
We come to Him in the Eucharist not asking, “How do I build myself up?” but allowing Him to build us up—to make us into the spiritual house He desires.
We cannot make ourselves acceptable for eternal life. If we treat faith as only our effort, we will keep stumbling. But if we put our faith in Christ, if we allow Him to enter more deeply and make His life our own, then even when we fall, even in the busyness of life, we will not be overcome.
Because yes, our effort matters. But our faith is not just about how much effort we give. It is about how much we allow grace in.
Deacon Jacob McGuire