Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Hold On to What Matters

In today’s first reading, St. Paul continues his farewell to the elders of the Church in Ephesus, and you can hear how deeply he cares for them. He speaks almost like a father speaking to people he loves. Paul knows suffering and hardship lie ahead, and so his message is simple but important: “Keep watch.” Stay attentive. Protect what has been entrusted to you. Paul understood something that all of us eventually learn—life has a way of pulling us away from what matters most. We get busy, distracted, discouraged, and sometimes we slowly drift without even realizing it. That is why Paul urges them to remain vigilant and faithful.

His words speak to us as well. Each of us has something precious entrusted to our care. For some, it is family or marriage. For others, it may be faith, integrity, friendships, or responsibilities God has given us. Parents know what it means to watch over what matters. Grandparents know this. Anyone who deeply loves another person understands the instinct to protect and care for what has been placed in their hands. The question for us today is simple: What has God entrusted to me? Because if we fail to care for the things that matter most, they often weaken—not suddenly, but little by little over time.

In the Gospel, we once again hear Jesus praying for His disciples, but today His prayer shifts slightly. Jesus says to the Father, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the Evil One.” Jesus knows His followers will face struggles, disappointments, difficult people, and suffering. Yet He does not pray for an easy life for them. Instead, He prays that they remain faithful, rooted in truth, and close to God even in the middle of life’s challenges.

Perhaps that is also the prayer we need today. Instead of asking God to remove every difficulty, we can ask for something even greater: the strength to remain faithful. Lord, help me hold on to what matters. Help me not drift. Help me stay close to You. Even in the difficulties of life, Jesus continues to pray for us and walk with us, giving us the grace to remain faithful to what matters most.