Steps to Eternal Life: Homily on John 5:24-29

Eternal Life - Homily on John 5:24-29
Reflection - 14-10-2024 Monday

In today’s Gospel, John 5:24-29, Jesus offers a powerful and life-changing promise: “Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” This statement is not just a future hope but a present reality. It teaches us that the path to eternal life involves two essential steps: faith and hearing the word, not merely hearing it with our ears, but living it in our daily lives.

Faith - The Foundation of Eternal Life: Jesus makes it clear that the first step toward eternal life is faith: believing in God who sent Him. Faith is not a passive acceptance; it is an active, living relationship with God. This faith is not only for good times, but especially for the challenges we face.

In our religious life, deepening our faith is essential. When doubts arise or challenges test our vocation, remember that faith sustains us. St. John of the Cross once wrote, “Faith is a dark night for man, but in this very way it gives him light”. We walk in faith even when we cannot see the whole path, trusting that God’s promise of eternal life is sure.

Hearing the Word - More Than Listening: The second step to eternal life, as Jesus says, is “hearing my word.” But this hearing goes beyond the act of listening with our ears. It involves embracing the Word of God in our hearts and living it out. We are called not only to be hearers but doers of the Word.

Hearing the Word means more than reading the Scriptures or listening to some preachers. It means letting the Word penetrate your heart so deeply that it transforms the way we live. We are called to reflect the Gospel in our choices, attitudes, and relationships. St. Ignatius of Loyola used to ask, “What more can I do for Christ?” This question invites us to constantly evaluate how we can better live out God’s Word in our lives.

Faith and living the Word are deeply connected. Without faith, it is hard to truly live God’s Word, and without living God’s Word, our faith remains incomplete. St. Maximilian Kolbe offers a profound example of both faith and hearing the Word in action. When he volunteered to take another man’s place in the death chamber at Auschwitz, he lived out Christ’s command to lay down one’s life for another. His faith in God empowered him to take such a heroic action, and by doing so, he was not only a believer but a doer of God’s Word.

Jesus’ promise of eternal life is not a distant dream. It begins here and now, with the simple but profound steps of believing in God and living His Word. So today, let us recommit ourselves to deepening our faith and living the Gospel in all that we do. In this way, we already begin to live the eternal life that Jesus promises. May God’s Word transform us so that we become true followers of Christ, ready to embrace the fullness of life both now and in eternity.