On whom do we build our foundations?

 There has been much attention on the coronation of King Charles III in the last few days. In the midst of the pomp and ceremony the question of who we pledge allegiance to has come to the fore. This is a question for all of us and is at the heart of the Gospel reading for this Sunday. Thomas wants to know where they are called to follow in the future and what plans need to be put in place. I have great respect for the questions that Thomas asks because they are often ones that arise from our own hearts. Yet, Jesus responds by pointing to himself by saying that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This can raise fresh questions that come from Philip seeking to see what this looks like and Jesus reassures him that if he has seen him, he has seen the Father.

However, it is this seeking after the person of Jesus that moves us to question on whom we build our foundations. This is not just about reliance on allegiance to an institution but rather on the person who gives substance to our lives. This internal sense that each of our lives finds a calling to discover who guides us and becomes our light to illumine our path. This personal encounter allows us to acknowledge who we listen to and how they shape our own responses to the way we live. Too often we can be drawn by the image that we are real if we are successful, influential, and wealthy. Yet these can be ephemeral and quickly taken from us. To base our lives on these shifting sands can cause us to be swept away by the tide of history. On what will we build our foundations?

I believe it is the simplicity of the Christian life that calls us to become people of prayer, reflection, and action. This model is how we encounter the person who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We are called to be people who enter into a relationship with God who seeks to reach out to us and we seek to reach out to God. We are called to ponder where the truth lies in the daily life of seeking God at the heart of all things. This is not just an intellectual assent that can be proclaimed with our lips but rather what captures our hearts with joy and gratitude. From this heartful assent our lives become shaped by who we seek to become.

This is the living stone that allows us to grow in our daily response to God. To become the person that God intends us to be. A daily reflection on our way, our truth, and our life allow us to meet Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.