If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go

“If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the Way.” — These immortal words of Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, shine as a lantern in the long corridor of time. They speak not only to the faithful of his age but to every soul that wanders through the wilderness of uncertainty, seeking direction amidst the shadows of existence. Aquinas, that towering mind of the thirteenth century, knew that all human striving — for wisdom, truth, love, and purpose — must find its end and its beginning in Christ, who is not merely the guide of the way, but the Way Himself.

In these few words lies the essence of Christian philosophy: that Christ is not only the path, but the destination; not only the teacher of truth, but Truth incarnate. Many walk through life grasping for light in a thousand fleeting things — wealth, power, knowledge, pleasure — yet find themselves lost still. Aquinas calls us to a higher wisdom: that to walk rightly, one must walk in Him. For when the soul unites its steps with Christ, every road becomes sacred, every trial becomes sanctified, and even suffering becomes a stairway to heaven.

The ancients said that to know the way, one must know the traveler’s heart. In the same manner, to find life’s true path, one must know the heart of Christ — for His life was the perfect pattern, the living map of divine love. He was the road of mercy when others were cruel, the road of truth when the world lived by deception, the road of sacrifice when men bowed to self. To take Christ as the way is to walk not upon stones and dust, but upon eternal virtues: humility, compassion, courage, and faith. It is to let one’s every step echo His footsteps through the ages.

Consider the story of Saint Augustine, who, long before Aquinas, sought truth in every philosophy of men. He tasted pleasure, mastered rhetoric, and wrestled with his own pride, yet his heart remained restless. It was not until he took Christ as the Way that peace descended upon him. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You,” he confessed — and thus he became the living testimony of this truth. When the light of Christ entered him, his wandering ended, and his path straightened. His intellect, once proud, bowed before divine simplicity; his words, once vain, became fountains of faith.

So too must each soul undergo this turning. For life without Christ is like a ship without a compass — swift perhaps, but directionless; adorned perhaps, but doomed to drift. Yet when one takes Christ, every wind becomes favorable, and even storms serve to bring the vessel home. The Way of Christ is not a smooth road, but it is the only one that leads upward. He does not promise ease, but He promises purpose; not comfort, but truth; not safety, but salvation.

To follow this Way is to live as He lived: to forgive when wronged, to serve rather than be served, to seek not glory but goodness. It is to let His love become your law and His peace your compass. In a world filled with many false roads — each glittering with promises of ease or pleasure — this path is narrow, but it is radiant. Those who walk it may stumble, but never lose direction, for the road itself bears them onward, sustained by the One who walks beside them.

And so, beloved traveler, when your heart trembles at the crossroads of life, take Christ. Let His teachings be your light, His example your strength, His presence your guide. Walk in patience, in mercy, in truth, and you will find that the way itself begins to transform you — for the Way is alive, and as you walk upon it, it walks within you.

The lesson, then, is clear: do not merely ask for directions — become one with the Way. Let your choices, your thoughts, your love, all flow from the life of Christ. In doing so, you will not merely reach your destination; you will become a living pilgrim of divine truth, and others will find their own paths by the light that shines through you. Thus did Aquinas teach — and thus must we live.