'The Way, the Truth, the Life'

Looking at this beautiful portrait of Our Lord Jesus, I am reminded of His words, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.'
He is the Way, because whoever follows His example will surely save his own soul. He is the Truth, because every word He ever uttered speaks to our hearts of the Eternal God. And He is the Life, because He comes to us in the Eucharist, and using this means, He leads us to eternal life in Him.
In my reading of anything concerning the Church, my studies for the Opus Angelorum or about Our Lady, the Bible, or anything written by any of the Saints, I am struck by this one thing:
Everything ever written that was intended to lead us to our salvation points to Him and through Him, to the Trinity, complete in Him and of Him...the Eternal Father, Who is in Heaven, the Spirit of Love and Truth, the Crucified and Risen Savior, Jesus...and there is nothing before or after the Three in One!
Our Lady Herself tells us that She is the channel of grace that leads us to Her Son. She is the Mystical Rose, the 'ladder' that will take us to Heaven. And if we are to get there safely, we must be devoted to Her, as He is devoted to Her.
Under Her title of 'Lady of the Eucharist' She points the way to Him...and directs us all to follow! And in my readings I have also learned that, even though God could have simply forgiven us for our sins and restored us to His good graces by a simple act of His will, He chose to do so much more to show us how much He loves us ~ He became a Man Himself, He lowered His own Flesh to the state of humanity, albeit a perfect form of humanity to be sure, but still...and in His humbling of His own Self, we are drawn to love Him even more, and to do all that we possibly can to return His love!
As an example, what would stop us from simply sinning again and again if indeed all we needed to gain His favor again was a simple apology? Did He not, instead, suffer and die for us? Did He not become a Man, not only to show us how to live, but to show us how to die? To suffer for His Church...this is indeed a great grace, and one for which we must be grateful!
In this, Christ becomes our Way ~ to a good Christian life, to gratitude to Him for all that He has done, to our very salvation.
In this, He becomes our Truth ~ the Lord Who has shown us how He created each of us to be His own, and how we must return the favor by showing our love for Him and for one another.
In this, He becomes our Life ~ His life on Earth, in the example He gave by living day-to-day, struggling with the 'grind' of it all and yet at every moment doing the will of His Father...and even today, His life in the Blessed Sacrament, the very Species under which He remains with us until the end of time, even to this day remaining hidden and 'small' as He did all those years ago in the manger!
As I gaze upon this painting, I see all of this ~ in His face and gesture. His blessing of anyone who professes to follow Him to eternal life, in Him, through the Blessed Mother Mary and the Church.
The kindness of my Lord Jesus, my Savior, my God ~ my Way, my Truth, my Life ~ this is the mystery which boggles the simple mind of man...and which I must therefore ponder with my heart ~ my mind is too small to comprehend such love ~ the love of God!
For sure, if He had not placed Himself at the disposal of the Father in this way, we might not ever understand the way He loves us...He can exist entirely on His own, and of Himself...and yet, He is not satisfied to do so.
What kind of a God does this?
A God Who not only claims to be our Way, our Truth, our Life ~ but a God Who is truly and exactly what He says He is!
Blessed be Jesus Christ, now and forever.