Readings: Acts 20:17-27; Ps.68; John 17:1-11
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
HOW TO OBTAIN 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 were 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. At 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 of the Holy Spirit. So here, Jesus is saying that eternal life, which traditionally refers to continued life after death, is only possible through the knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has 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 evidence of our interest in Christ, through whom eternal life is given to us as an act of mercy, forgiveness, and 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, every day of our lives 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 question is, 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, and 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 to attain eternal life, which You have given us through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.
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