Words return in quiet moments, in struggle, in grief, in temptation Offaly man stresses
Words return in quiet moments, in struggle, in grief, in temptation Offaly man stresses
“Let us run with perseverance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1–2). Some words never leave us. They return in quiet moments, in struggle, in grief, in temptation, 'Keep your eyes on the goal.' Simple words. But they carry the weight of a lifetime of faith.
Because our life journey is not a short sprint. It is a long and often weary road, a holy marathon I like to call it, through joy and sorrow, light and darkness, peace and confusion, consolation and dryness of soul. And in every season, the greatest danger is not exhaustion. It is distraction. It is not losing strength, but losing focus. It is not stopping the race, but forgetting why we are running it at all.
We begin with sincerity. We begin with love. We begin with prayer and trust. But then life presses in. The diagnosis comes. The grief arrives. The relationship breaks. The child drifts. The loneliness deepens. The financial pressure weighs heavy. The prayer seems unanswered. And slowly, almost without noticing, our gaze shifts. From Christ… to the storm. And when our eyes leave Him, we begin to sink.
Jesus is the goal
St. Paul writes: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14). But what is the goal? It is not success. Not comfort. Not recognition. Not control. Not possessions. Not even the good things God gives along the way. The prize is Jesus Himself. To know Him. To love Him. To belong to Him. To be transformed by Him. To rest in Him forever. Everything else passes. Everything else fades. Everything else eventually lets us down. But Jesus remains. There is a restlessness in every human heart that no created thing can satisfy. We chase, we achieve, we acquire, yet something still aches within. That ache is not emptiness. It is longing. It is the soul remembering its true home. As the Catechism says, the desire for God is written into the human heart because we are made for Him. We do not simply need blessings. We need God. We do not simply need answers. We need Jesus.
Before we were His prize, we were His joy
“For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the Cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). This truth is almost too great to grasp. Before Christ was ever our goal… we were His. He saw you and me before the foundation of the world. He loved us into existence. And He walked toward Calvary with our names written in His Heart. We were the joy set before Him. Not an abstract humanity. Not a faceless crowd. You. Me. Every blow, every wound, every insult, every nail, He endured with us in view. He did not go to the Cross reluctantly. He went willingly. Love held Him there. And if He kept His eyes fixed on us through suffering, how can we not now fix our eyes on Him in love?
Peter and the storm
Peter stepping onto the water is the story of every believer. At first, his eyes are on Jesus and he does the impossible. He walks on water. But then he notices the wind. He sees the waves. Fear enters. Focus shifts. And he begins to sink. The storm did not change. Only his gaze did. This is the mystery of faith, Jesus does not always remove the storm. He calls us to walk through it with our eyes fixed on Him. How often do we sink not because the storm is stronger, but because our attention has drifted? Yet even in sinking, Peter is not abandoned. He cries out, and Jesus reaches for him immediately. That is the heart of Christ, not distance, but rescue.
What is pulling your eyes away?
“Lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely…” (Hebrews 12:1). Not everything that distracts us is obviously sinful. Some things are simply heavy. Busyness. Noise. Anxiety. Comparison. Pride. Worry about tomorrow. Old wounds. Unforgiveness. Constant distraction. We were not made to carry these weights while running toward God. And often the enemy does not need to destroy us. He only needs to distract us. Because a distracted heart is a drifting heart. So we must ask honestly, what is stealing my gaze from Jesus? Whatever it is, it is too heavy for the journey.
'Be only all for Jesus'
Saint Mother Teresa lived with a simplicity that still pierces the soul. She often repeated these words to me when I journeyed some years with her and her Missionaries of Charity, “Dear Ronan, Be only all for Jesus.” Not partly. Not occasionally. Not when it is convenient. "Be Only All For Jesus". Imagine a life like that. Every action, every suffering, every joy, every hidden moment offered to Him. My work — only all for Jesus. My suffering — only all for Jesus. My service — only all for Jesus. My silence — only all for Jesus. My life's journey - only all for Jesus. This is holiness, not perfection, but total belonging. And strangely, it is here that freedom begins, because the heart finally stops trying to belong everywhere else.
Love must become action and service
Fixing our eyes on Jesus is never only inward. It always becomes outward. “For whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40). If we truly see Christ, we will begin to see Him in others such as the lonely, the sick, the poor, the needy, the forgotten, the anxious, the abandoned, the grieving, the difficult person no one notices. Faith that does not become love is incomplete. Sometimes the holiest prayer is not spoken in words, but in action such as a visit, a phone call, a kind gesture, a patient silence, a forgiveness offered, a meal shared, a hand held in suffering. This is where Christ is found, not only in prayer, but in compassion.
Get up again
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7). Maybe today you feel tired. Or unworthy. Or distant. Or ashamed. Or spiritually dry. Listen carefully, falling is not the end. Staying down is. The saints were not people who never failed. They were people who kept returning to God. Again. And again. And again. Jesus does not stand over you in anger. He stands beside you in mercy. “Take courage… do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27). Get up. Even slowly. Even weakly. Just get up. Because the race is not finished yet and Christ is still waiting ahead.
The question that matters
If today were your last day, what would it reveal you truly lived for? Success? Comfort? Approval? Control? Or Christ? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). One day everything else will fall away. Only Jesus will remain. So the only question that matters is this, "where is your heart today?"
Thought for the week
As your thought for the week, take a few quiet moments each day. No noise. No scrolling. Just silence before God. And ask: “Lord, where have my eyes drifted and where is my heart today?” Then: Read Hebrews 12:1–3 slowly each day. Lay down one distraction that weakens your focus on Christ. Offer one hidden sacrifice: “Be Only all for Jesus”. Perform one act of quiet love for someone in need. Reach out to someone who is struggling or alone. Small acts. Faithful hearts. Fixed eyes.
Let me leave you with a prayer I wrote recently about keeping my eyes and heart fixed on Jesus, "Lord Jesus,Too often I take my eyes and heart off You. I look at the storm. I look at my fears. I look at my failures. I look at my wounds. I look at the opinions of others. I look everywhere but at You. And I begin to sink. Forgive me. Teach me again to fix my eyes on You. You who never took Your eyes off me. You who carried the Cross with my name in Your Heart. You who loved me all the way to Calvary. You who stayed. Take away every weight that keeps me from running freely. Take my pride. Take my fear. Take my distractions. Take my divided heart. Take everything that is not of You. Make me only all for You. Help me to love as You love. Help me to serve as You serve. Help me to see You in the poor, the lonely, the forgotten, and the suffering. Let my faith become compassion. Let my prayer become kindness. Let my love become action. When I grow tired, strengthen me. When I fall, lift me. When I doubt, remind me. When I suffer, stay close. When I am tempted to give up, whisper again: “Come.” And when the race feels long, help me remember, You are the goal. May I live for Your voice alone. May I seek Your face above all else. May I one day hear You say: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Jesus, keep my eyes and heart fixed on You. Always. Amen."