Fifth Sunday of Easter (A) 18 May 2014
John 14: 1-12 by José Antonio Pagola
At the end of the Last Supper, the disciples begin to sense that Jesus will not be with them much longer. The sudden exit of Judas, the prediction of the proximate denial of Peter, the words of Jesus announcing his departure any day soon, have left all of them worried and depressed. What is to become of all of them?
Jesus becomes aware of their sadness and worry. He is deeply moved. Forgetting himself and what awaits him, Jesus tries to give them courage: “Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe in me too.” Later, in the course of the conversation, Jesus makes them this disclosure: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father , but through me.” They must never forget this.
I am the Way. The problem of quite a lot of people is not that they have gone astray or lost their way. Quite simply, they have no way to follow, lost in a kind of labyrinth, walking back and forth on different paths when they follow outside slogans and temporary fashions.
And what can a man or a woman do when they find themselves without a path to follow? To whom can they have recourse? Whom can they reach out to? If they come to Jesus , what they will find is not a religion, but a way. At times they will go forward with faith, at others they will encounter difficulties and even go back, but they are on the right path that leads to the Father. This is the promise of Jesus.
“I am the truth”. These words form an invitation scandalous for modern sensibilities. Not everything can be reduced to reason. Scientific theory does not comprise the whole truth. The ultimate mystery of reality does not permit itself to be the subject of the most sophisticated analysis. The human being has to live with the ultimate mystery of reality.
Jesus offers himself as the way that leads to and brings this ultimate Mystery within reach. God does not impose himself. He does not constrain anyone with proofs and evidence. The Ultimate Mystery is a matter of silence and respectful attraction. Jesus is the Way that can open us out to his Goodness.
I am the Life. Jesus can keep transforming our lives. Not like a far away teacher who has left a legacy of admirable wisdom to humanity, but like someone alive who, within the very depths of our being, sows in us the seed of new life.
This action of Jesus works in us almost always in a discreet, silent way. The believer him/herself only senses an imperceptible presence. At times, however, certainty, uncontainable joy, a total trust invades us: God exists, he loves us, everything is possible, including eternal life. We will never understand the Christian faith if we do not welcome Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life
Translated by Rev. Fr. Valentine de Souza SJ
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean. 
'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot.
ReplyDeleteJesus....the Way, the Truth, and the Life
ReplyDelete"For Go so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, and whoever believes in Him will perish but have everlasting life."
ReplyDeleteJESUS PAID IT ALL !!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reminder of what Jesus has done for us.
ReplyDelete