There is a great temptation among many Catholics, including myself, to allow their faith to be obscured by earthly concerns; to elevate the ancillary and let the essential fall by the wayside in their definitions of Christianity. We can be tempted to allow important, but fundamentally non-essential concerns—such as the language of the mass, the type of music sung, or the architecture of a church—distract us from the reality of the sacred Truths of the Faith.

Then too, the Church, through her twenty-one centuries of existence, has done an extraordinary amount of good in the world—social work, advocacy, scientific advancement, and more. Her treasury of music, art, and philosophy is vast. While all these contributions are noble and good, they remain insufficient justifications for our credal profession to be Catholic Christians. Indeed, the Buddhists, too, well understand the importance of contemplation and death to the world, the beauty of Islamic art and architecture is awe-inspiring, and secular humanism has animated many to the great call of love of thy neighbor and the poor. What then makes us Christians?

This is where today’s readings come in. Today’s Gospel reminds us that at the heart of our faith—our identity as Christians and the very bedrock for which our entire existence is built on—is our recognition of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As Christians, we affirm that only Jesus Christ can fully occupy the God-sized hole that each and every one of us inherently longs to fill. “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” As Christians, we affirm that truly no one is saved, except through Christ. “And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.” And as Christians, we affirm that Jesus Christ, through His infinite Love, grants eternal life to all who faithfully seek and obey Him. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” Today, let us allow ourselves to be totally consumed by Christ, recognizing His essential and singular role in our salvific journey.

O my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, may I surrender everything I have and everything I am to You. May You grant me the grace to remain solely focused on Your infinite Love, to live completely dependent on Your Word, and to resist all temptations that distract me from You. May I seek in every action to bring glory to Your Name and to beg for Your Mercy. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.