"I am in the Father and the Father is in me"
Acts 6:
1-7
1 Peter 2:
4-9
Jn 14:
1-12
Sunday Word: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051417.cfm
Our Gospel
this Sunday begins with the words that we heard spoken by the Angel Gabriel to
Mary or by a parent to their frightened child: “Do not fear,” or “Do not let your hearts be troubled,”
Jesus assures his disciples. The scene is at the Last Supper as Jesus
encourages his disciples that although they will see what might appear to be
the end of their Jesus dream, it is not the end but only the beginning of a
greater plan by God. Though Jesus will
soon leave them after the resurrection, they will not be abandoned. So he
assures them: Do not let your hearts be
troubled.
But this
is more than the loss of a dear friend.
It is more than just a temporary absence or a vacation in which they
will be reunited again. Jesus reassures
his disciples they will have a place in his Father’s house (heaven) and so too
will we. Yet, in the meantime, we have a
mission to carry out; that of Christ and the Apostles, which is the very mission
of the Church in the power of the Spirit.
The
question of Thomas, “Master, we do not
know where you are going; how can we know the way?” strikes me as
reasonable as these disciples have not yet experienced the resurrection. They
are thinking in earthly, logical terms.
Jesus, in John’s Gospel, speaks in spiritual terms so it is another
example of their gradual understanding of who Jesus is and the purpose of his
mission to humanity, which is God’s itself.
You see me, you see the Father – this is what God is like, Jesus tells
and shows us. Although this intimate group had seen and heard much up to this
point the fullness is still hidden from them.
Jesus challenges that idea: “Have
I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me?”
It may
also be the question of our day. Think
for a moment. What did these Apostles
have to go on - The Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus himself. How learned were they in the fine points of the
sacred scriptures: the Torah, the Law and the Prophets? Likely not to the point they were able to
connect the dots very easily. So, they
had the person of Christ himself. They
heard his teaching and they witnessed strange and miraculous events. We see in
the first reading from Acts how the Church, in the face of growth, responded
creatively as the Holy Spirit led them to see a great need for equality and
fairness among the Christians by the appointment of what we claim is the
Deaconate. Yet, they still didn’t have
much more than the testimony of the Apostles to go on.
What do we
have? Thousands of years of Christian
history: Theologians, Doctors of the Church, Saints, Tradition, the New Testament
Scriptures, not to mention overwhelming technology and scientific knowledge among
more that was completely not in the historical universe of ancient times. Yet, we still ask the same question in this
age of many distractions and miraculous medical science. “You
still do not know me?” Jesus addresses us. It is that every generation
needs to hear the good news again and again.
The wealth of historical and spiritual treasure we have at our
fingertips literally through the internet for example leaves us no excuse to
remain unaware of the power of our Christian faith.
But, I
think the focus of the Gospel and for our Christian lives is to once again hear
the words of Jesus, which are astounding:
“I am the way and the truth and
the life” By this claim, he leaves
for us no other choice and basically no option or “door number two” to walk
through. Jesus claims that he is THE way
to the Father – to God; Jesus is the fullness of THE truth and he brings us the
promise and hope of THE life. If we find
him, we need not search anywhere else and nothing else will fulfill or satisfy
equally.
As
absolute as that sounds even more, he implies nothing specific about his teaching as such but states that HE is
the way, truth and life. His person,
this man is alone all that we hope for!
While there are many spiritual and organized religious roads to walk in
this world they all lead ultimately to Christ who is the fullness of truth. No
other historical religious figure has ever made such a claim about
himself. Whether Moses, Buddah,
Mohammed, or whoever, none ever claimed that they themselves were the way,
truth and life.
Does that
mean that this is the perfect Church?
One look around may indeed cause us to winch in disbelief. We are all sinners, imperfect people who
daily work out our salvation. Yet, the
Church is perfect not because of us but because of its founder who is perfect. The Church is Holy not because of us but in
spite of us for Christ is its head.
Such a core belief on one side may sound pretty arrogant or
small minded, maybe even intolerant of other religions who are filled with
sincere and good non-Catholic Christian people.
Yet, the statement is more theological in the sense that if Jesus really
is who he says he is, and we have no reason to doubt in these days with the
benefits gained through the treasure I mentioned earlier, then we can humbly
believe that the fullness of this message is contained in the Catholic
Christian community. We do not exist to judge and diminish the quality of other
Christian communities for example but to be the best of who we are.
Our second reading from Peter reminds us who we are despite our flawed nature, through Baptism we are living stones in a spiritual house and precious in the sight of God. Who me? Yes, you and I. We are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own” called to greatness in the spiritual sense. So, maybe if we recognized our privilege not to be “holier than thou” but the privilege we hold in Christ to carry on his mission of self-less service, mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation, his good news in the world, we would not be so troubled by the world in which we live. To invite others to come to know the Lord Jesus in the ways we do it is more inspiring than simply words. We say what our Lord said to his first disciples: “Come and see.”
Jesus
message of Shalom, peace and fullness, has gone beyond his resurrection address
to his Apostles and remains his message to the world. He provides a power of trust and hope that we
can know is what it claims to be. He is
the way to the Father, the answer to our doubt, and the fullness of life that
brings peace and harmony.
Almighty ever-living God,
constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us,
that those you were pleased t make new in Holy Baptism
may, under you protective care, bear much fruit
and come to the joys of life eternal.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
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