Gospels present the life of Jesus here on earth as a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (Lk 9:51). It was a Journey to his Father, which ended in his death, resurrection and ascension to his father.  On this Journey, he invited many to follow him and he taught them the way to the Father. In the Gospel of John, Jesus in his final discourse to his disciples, told them that he is the way to the Father. After the discourse he told them, “Rise, let us be on our way” (Jn14:31).

Jesus is the way to the Father. He is the way to the Truth and the Life.  Therefore, to be on His way means to be on the way of Truth and Life.  It means to journey with him. It is a Journey to our freedom and authenticity. It is a journey from what I am and what God wants me to be. St. Paul puts it very beautifully about the nature of this journey in the letter to the Philippians:

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:12-14).

It is through our prayer we can be always on our Way. In prayer we find Jesus, our Way and let him lead us on his way.  When we are on his way, we are not afraid, even if we have to walk in the valley of darkness, our heart does not shrink or sink. We are not discouraged if the road seems too long; we are not drained by the fatigue of the journey.

One philosopher rightly defined man as a tight rope walker. It tells us about the importance of moving forward constantly.  We are reminded that life is a constant challenge. One needs to keep constantly move ahead.  Jesus our Way asks us to rise above the things of the world and to set our eyes on the things of heaven.

In the book of Acts, in many occasions, the followers of Christ are being called as, “Those who belonged to the Way;” (Acts 22:4, 18:25,26, 19:9).

Fr. Andre Dodin wrote about St. Vincent, “Vincent had a way and not theory.” St. Vincent and St. Louise followed the footprints of providence, as reveled in their prayer, in the events and persons.  As Vincentians let us be on our way by being attentive to the providence of God, and cries of the poor.

About the Author:

Fr. Binoy Puthusery, C.M. is a Vincentian priest belonging to the Southern Indian Province. He was ordained as priest on December 27, 2008 and soon after served as an assistant parish priest in Tanzania.  In 2011, after two years of ministry, he was appointed as Spiritual Director to the Vincentian Sisters of Mercy, Mbinga Tanzania. He currently lives in Barakaldo (Spain), and is a teacher in the Masters in Vincentian Studies.