For some of us, salvation may be seen as a fairly distant concept. In our society today, it can be easy to forget about what God asks of us when we consider the topic of salvation. In the end, however, each one of us must remember that we have been created by God for some type of purpose. It is sometimes easy to generalize creation and to believe that God created humanity in order to convey himself to humanity. This is true—but we must also remember that, in doing so, God created you and I and our neighbors for the very same purpose. In this way, God’s message is much more individual and it can be easier to reach out to God. The reading from Isaiah states that “the Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name” (Is. 49:1). Consider how personal this reading truly is! God’s message and ultimately his salvation are intended for individual members of humanity, not simply humanity as a whole.

We also note, based on the reading from Isaiah, that God is ever-present in our lives. He will be there for us even when our trials seem ultimate and our accomplishments seem trivial. At sunset, God still loves us as much as he loved us at sunrise. This means, of course, that we are still called to give our all, particularly when it comes to devotion to God and our fellow human beings. But, in the end, there is more to our being than our own selves.

The gospel reading from John also connects to the ideas of salvation and human challenge. Shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus states: “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later” (Jn. 13: 36). This statement connects back to the notion of salvation and the opportunity that it presents to all people. While salvation is not necessarily automatic, we know—based on Jesus’ teachings and sacrifice—that God will be there for us. This is comforting, especially when we consider our true position in the context of the universe.