Homily For Tuesday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 23rd May, 2023

Readings: Acts 20:17-27; Ps.68;  John 17:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHAT IS ETERNAL LIFE?

 

The notion of eternal life is one of the things in the consciousness of most religious people and more especially Christians. Oftentimes, we hear people talking about eternal life as if it is like a movie that will soon begin. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: what is eternal life? What does it really mean to have eternal life? How can we obtain it?

 

The answer to these questions is found in the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus which we have in our Gospel passage today. In the beginning of this prayer Jesus said: ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.’

 

From this prayer we come to know that knowledge is very important to understanding the meaning of eternal life and knowledge as we are told is one of the gifts for the Holy Spirit. So here, Jesus is saying that eternal life which traditionally refers to continued life after death is only possible by the knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He have sent.

 

The point here is that eternal life consists in the knowledge of the Father as the only Being answering to the ideal thought of God; and this knowledge is manifested in Him, whom God anointed and sent into the world to declare His attributes and character for the sake of redeeming humanity which was possible through the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

 

Thus, eternal life which has been achieved for humanity has been given to believers who have been redeemed from sin and death. Their task is to communicate this to ignorant and sinful humanity. Little wonder we heard St. Paul in our first reading saying: I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

 

This is humanity's journey and process to eternal life, and when this knowledge has been made perfect, holiness and happiness will be fully achieved. These holiness and happiness of the redeemed, are exactly what the glory of Christ, and of his Father signifies. For Jesus endured the cross and death and so ends humanity's sorrows of sin and death, thereby obtaining the victory and glory of eternal life for humanity.

 

Therefore, our glorifying God and His Son Jesus is needed as an evidence of our interest in Christ, through whom eternal life is given to us as an act of mercy, forgiveness, love, so that we become living souls with unspeakable joy. For his is the meaning of eternal life and the source and manner in which we can obtain it.

 

Dear friends, everyday of our life we struggle to know God, through different means and in the Apostles' Creed we often say: I believe in God and his Son Jesus, I believe in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. But the questions are, do we really know God and His Son Jesus? Do we truly believe in Him? Do our attitudes, behaviours and decisions evidence of us knowing Christ, through whom eternal life is given to us as an act of mercy, forgiveness, love? Therefore we are called today to sincerely seek  to know God personally through His Son Jesus and so attain the eternal life which he has won for us.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, let us seek to know you more personally and so work hard to do Your will in order to attain eternal life, which You have given us through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.