Jesus then said to the Twelve, ‘Do you also want to leave?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? We are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.’
Jesus addresses this same question to us: “Do you also want to leave? If we should choose to leave, to whom would we turn? To whom could we possibly turn, if not to the Lord?
It is Christ alone whose words, forgiveness, and unconditional love are eternal. The Lord’s love for is so great that He chose to suffer the indescribable pain of the Passion and to die a callously cruel death on the Cross. Not only did He suffer and die to save us, He is, as Scripture tells us, the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the Bread of life; the Good Shepherd; the Light of the world; the Door; the true Vine; and the Resurrection and the Life; in short, He is the center and joy of our lives. He is our ALL; leaving Him is unthinkable. Since we were made for Him, there is no happiness without Him, as expressed so beautifully in the words of St. Augustine: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
Let us pray for the grace to respond daily with abundant love to the question, “Do you also want to leave?” by keeping our eyes intently fixed on Him, Who is our ALL.
Sr. M. John Therese, SSMO
Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon
