5th
Sunday of Easter (Year A)
First
Reading: Acts 6:1-7 Second
Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-9 Gospel
Reading: John 14:1-12
“I
AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER
EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”
During
the 2nd
World War, in Malaya, a prisoner happened to escape from the
prisoners' camp. He was assisted by a native fellow who led him
through a thick forest and from there to freedom and back home. The
native fellow walked ahead and the man followed him from behind. With
great difficulty they were finding their way through thorns and
bushes, and ups and downs, and twists and turns, and the man got very
tired. He then asked the native fellow,“Are
you sure this is the way?”
The native fellow looked at him, and in broken English he said,
“There is no way. I am the
way. If you want to be free and go home, then you have to just follow
me.”
In
the same way, in the Gospel Reading of today Jesus says to us -
“I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me.” as
we journey with him through our earthly life in the midst of our
problems and difficulties, sufferings and pains, disappointments
and discouragements, stress and strain to the House of our Heavenly
Father, and we have to just follow him.
We
are in the Easter Season and today is the 5th
Sunday. Today's
Liturgy continues to deepen our identity as Easter people, although
there
is a distinct shift of emphasis in today’s Readings from Jesus'
Resurrection to the activity and organization of the early
Christians. The
First Reading from Acts of the Apostles depicts a moment in the life
of the early Church and responds to a practical need. There is a
division of functions to allow the apostles to dedicate themselves to
their priestly task, while consecrating others to attend to the
necessary material works and charitable needs. We see here a
necessary practical shaping of the spiritual edifice. The
Second Reading from the 1st
Letter of Peter, depicts our identity as Easter people and encourages
us to be aware of our responsibility as 'living
stones,'
with Christ as cornerstone, to form a 'spiritual
building.'
The rich images that we hear in this reading present our dignity as
“a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own”
to sing his praises. In
the Gospel Reading from St. John, Jesus in his last discourse
forewarns his disciples of his departure and reminds them of how they
are to reach their Heavenly Father’s house. He says to them, “I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me.”
Those
who believe in him will inherit eternal life. He at the same time
stresses on his unity with the Father and our need to trust in him.
EXTENSION
OF SPECIAL MINISTRIES IN THE EARLY CHURCH:
As
the Easter season progresses, our attention is drawn from intimate
encounters with the Risen Jesus and relationships within the early
Christian community to a more outward-looking focus. The First
Reading of today from Acts of the Apostles provides an interesting
milestones of ecclesiastical evolution. We see the early Christian
community expanding its leadership structure by adding
specialized ministries to respond to the changing needs. Seven
reputable men filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit are chosen and
prayed over by the apostles for a special Church ministry. The seven
chosen ones would 'serve at table'
and handle the administrative affairs for the Hellenists
(Greek-speaking Jews) who were complaining that their widows were
being neglected in the daily distribution of goods. The imposition of
hands by the apostles suggests a passing of power to the seven chosen
for service. It is worth noting that authority rested with the
Twelve, yet the community's approval was sought and the community
actually chose the seven. By being faithful to Christ and receptive
to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the Christian disciples in
Jerusalem were able to find an equitable solution that permitted them
to achieve their main goal of spreading the Word of God.
“YOU
ARE A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION ...”
In
the Second Reading from his 1st
Letter, Peter speaks to the Gentile Christians of their identity
and dignity
of being a follower of Christ and encourages
them to be aware of their responsibility as 'living
stones,'
with Christ as cornerstone, to form a 'spiritual
building.'
He reminds them that just as the ancient Israelite people were called
to be holy
just as God was holy, so too they as new Christians were likewise and
just as much expected by God to live a vocation to holiness. He cited
the text from Exodus 19:6 which was a practical, constitutional
statement by God about God’s People: “You
are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his
own ...”
These words are even used in the sacred Eucharistic Liturgy to remind
our assembly in our own day, of the dignity of the Christian
Vocation. It means that through
our sacrament of Baptism, like the Israelite people of old, we become
a holy nation, a people set apart. The word royal priesthood would
associate us with high rank in society and as priests we become
mediators between God and man and therefore the task of
reconciliation. Hence through this call we become God’s own people,
in order that we may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called us
out of darkness into his marvelous light.
“I
AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER
EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”
The
Gospel Reading of today from St. John, is taken from the Farewell
Discourse at the Last Supper, and addresses concerns of the
disciples that would arise because of the departure (i.e. death) of
Jesus soon to occur. In the context of its Liturgical proclamation at
this point in the Easter Season, this reading also invites us to
reflect on the coming 'departure'
of Jesus in the 'Ascension' and
the impact on us believers of the physical absence of Jesus. What are
the disciples to do without him? What do we do without this
reassuring presence?
a)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
The
disciples are aware that Jesus is about to leave them. There is a
heavy air of gloom and anxiety as the enemies of Jesus close in
around him. “Do
not let your hearts be troubled,”
are the encouraging words he speaks to them. “Trust
in God still, and trust in me”
is a call to total faith in the Father and in him. Trusting
in God means accepting and facing reality. It means dealing with our
problems knowing that even in worst-case scenarios, God will not
allow us to be crushed and lost. We do our best with the proper means
available to us and God will take care of the rest. The
passage also assures them that Jesus will return and take his
followers with him. The immanent departure of Jesus is presented not
as a loss but as a preparation for the future. The expression 'many
dwelling places'
of the Father’s house suggests not a diversity of place within
heaven but that there will be room enough for everyone in God’s
eternal presence.
b)
“I am the way, and the
truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Jesus
has now been with them for three years and they have seen him
teaching and working among the people; so, “You
know the way to the place where I am going,” they are
told. Thomas, the man who likes to confront and the one with the very
literal mind, protests, “Lord, we do not
know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
He is clearly thinking in geographical terms. In fact, all Jesus'
words about going and coming are spoken on quite a different level of
meaning altogether. However, we can be grateful to Thomas for drawing
out of Jesus one of the great sayings of St. John's Gospel, “I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me.”
So what do we make of
this saying of Jesus? What do they mean to us?
'I
am the Way' – Jesus is a road. A road is a journey. And
we go to God the Father through Jesus and we call Jesus the Way,
because
he is the visible manifestation in human form of all that his Father
is.
'I
am the Truth' – the Truth that meets us on the road. We
Christians have not got the Truth. The Truth has got us. Jesus is
God's gift of his true self to us. As God revealed His true self to
Jesus, we look up to Jesus to reveal God to us.
'I
am the Life'
– this journey of Truth gives us life.
When we believe in Jesus, we find life. More, He becomes our life.
In short, what
living the Christian life is really all about is living with Jesus in
faith. It is to make the Truth and the Life - the Father Himself -
really ours by following Jesus who is the Way.
c)
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Now
it is the naïve Philip's turn to interject. “Master,
show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” It
was the hope of every good Jew some day to see God face to face. With
a tinge of disappointment Jesus says to him, that he has been with
them for so long a time and they still do not recognize him. Then he
continues to tell Philip that he and the Father are one and whoever
has seen him has seen the Father. However, this statement must be
understood with some qualifications. Jesus is the Son of God and is
one with the Father in all things, but to say that when we see Jesus
we see God is both true and not altogether true. For Jesus, as we
know him, is limited by his humanness. When he speaks, certainly it
is God who speaks. When he heals, certainly God heals. When Jesus
died on the Cross, did God also die? Surely not. God cannot die. The
death of Jesus in his humanity was a sublime witness of the love and
compassion of the Ever Living God.
Lastly, Jesus has a word
for them and us too. Yes, because by leaving for the Father he has
passed his mandate on to us. We are called on to continue his mission
in the world.
CONCLUSION:
To
conclude, in today’s Gospel Reading Jesus promises his eternal
presence will be with his disciples. However, 'to
believe' involves committing the whole self to the care of
God. If Jesus goes to prepare a dwelling place for them in his
Father’s house, there will be room for all of them.
So, just where are we
headed then? It is the prayer of a faithful Christian trying to make
sense of things. Do we let Christ guide us through life and point us
to the ultimate victory that is ours in eternity? Our
primary response to God’s self-revelation should be one of faith,
faith in the one who cares about us, about our well-being and needs,
about our joys and sorrows. God
has a place for us. These words have often been of great comfort when
read during the funeral service, it being one of the choices for the
Gospel Reading. One day we will be securely at home with God for all
time. But here is even more joyful news: not only will we be in that
home then, we are invited to live in that home now. As
St. Peter reminds us, we are a holy people, called to proclaim the
one who called us out of darkness into light. In words and deeds we
bear witness to the Risen Jesus, who says to us – “I
am the way, and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me.” And
this is the Good News of today.
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