"Follow me." The invitation of Jesus is not ambiguous. He asks us to remain with him, to be led, formed, and taught by him, to be strengthened by him. He will lead us to the abundant life God wants for each of us. Accepting the invitation of Jesus will set us free from sin, death, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. So, today, why is there so much confusion?

The challenge is when some try to distort the truth, trying to find a compromise between the Gospel, which is eternal, and the spirit of the age. The dominant culture is moving increasingly away from the Gospel, even becoming hostile to it. Accordingly, we must make a choice, life in Christ or the way of the secular world, eternal life or darkness and despair. There is no middle way.

We are all called to a vocation to holiness, preparing us for eternal blessed with God in heaven. This is the purpose for which we were created and the only way to find fulfillment and meaning in life. The first step on the journey is to say "yes" to Jesus's invitation: "Follow me."

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8).