To hear, to be known, to follow, to receive eternal life. That’s it.

Christianity is actually very simple, not difficult at all. Reduced to basics, Christianity is simply this: encountering Jesus. The word of God, sacraments, prayer, serving others: behind all of it is the promised encounter with the risen Jesus. Behind every religious and charitable act—so we believe—is Jesus Christ who knows us and loves us before we ever knew him or tried to love him. It’s all very simple. It’s about Jesus and our relationship with him. Everything we do serves that.

Which is why the invitation in John’s Gospel is important. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (Jn 10:27). It’s why as Christians we should pause and quiet ourselves and let these words of Jesus take root. Do we hear Jesus—in scripture, in the Church, in our neighbor? Do we follow him—in the Church, in service, in witness and sometimes even protest? And do we receive eternal life—do we think, act, and hope for heaven? This is the basic stuff of Christianity; it’s the reason for everything we do. To meet Jesus in this life so that we see him in the next: that’s the point.

But first, hear. But are you listening?