thepath2eternity

As 2025 is dawning, I expected a normal new year’s energy. The kind that comes from having it a little more together than last year, from spending time analyzing where I’ve been and where I’m headed, from making my list of goals and priorities and projects and being so ready to tackle them head-on. And I truly feel like my list is good, true, and beautiful this year…filled with purposeful, holy projects that can further the Kingdom of God.

And yet, the energy I feel is quite different. It’s holding me in place at His feet, reverberating with the words “one thing is necessary” (see Luke 10:42). If I had to summarize that list into one thing right now, it would be to know the will of God…so that I can work on the right things in the right order for the right amount of time.

“Yes, it is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him up on the last day.” ~St John 6:40

His will does not depend on me running off to start my list. It depends on first truly believing. That word ‘believing’ feels so close to being and living. How do you “be” and “live” in Him?

Jesus says, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me…I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ~St John 6:45,51

And what exactly is this eternal life that we are to seek? Eternal life consists in knowing “you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (see John 7:13) In Biblical terms, knowing implies deep interpersonal intimacy, the kind of relationship we all yearn for.¹

His will is that we have a deep interpersonal relationship with Him forever. And we know from Jesus’ prayer, which He taught us to pray, that this is to start now. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” (see Matthew 6:9-15) We cannot wait any longer to truly know Him. We cannot put that one thing aside to start our new year agenda, even if it is good, true, and beautiful. He has provided ways to draw us in to Himself now.

Remove the barriers of sins.

Get to know His Family – the Holy Family, the saints and angels, and His Church.

Consume Him in the Eucharist, for He is the Bread of Life.

The following is from Father John Bartunek in his book, The Better Part, worth writing directly on my heart.

“Jesus himself is the ‘bread’ of this eternal life, its source and sustenance. Without bread, without food, physical life perishes; without Jesus, without his ‘flesh for the life of the world’ in the Eucharist, our life of intimate communion with God will perish. It’s that simple – and it’s that crucial. Eleven times in this discourse Jesus speaks of himself as the bread of life; you’d think we would get the message. But if someone were to measure our real devotion to the Eucharist – our active and prayerful involvement in Mass, our recollection in receiving Communion, the frequency and sincerity of our visits to the Tabernacle – would they conclude that this Sacrament is, in actual fact, our bread of life?”

One thing is necessary right now and always. Be and live in Him and by Him and through Him and with Him. There is no other way to accomplish God’s will. If I make no progress in all my other projects for this next year and only increase my devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist, it will be a successful year indeed.

May you all find such joy in 2025!

1. Fr. John Bartunek, The Better Part ↩︎