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From the Pastor's Desk: May 7, 2023
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From the Pastor’s Desk: May 7, 2023
The Fifth Sunday of Easter marks the passing of the midpoint of the Easter season. The Gospel readings are taken from the Gospel of John and invite us to reflect upon the meaning of the aftermath of the Resurrection – the openness to the Spirit of God- in order for us to bring about the ministry of evangelization and proclaim the power of the Risen Lord and His Kingdom here and now. To give His disciples a sense of what their lives will be like and what they will be engaged in after He is gone, after He has died, risen and ascended into heaven, He presented them with some essential and fundamental teaching about Himself: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
From ancient times, philosophers have summed up the human condition as a quest to answer three fundamental questions: What should I do? What can I know? What can I hope for? In response to the quest of our human condition, the Lord first offers a sense of comfort, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” and then offers a teaching/explanation to each one of these Truths about Himself.
"I am the way" – translates the Greek word “hodos” which literally means a path or right road. It is an invitation to follow Him on the path to eternal life. As we know, the way of life becomes a difficult journey at times. A journey that is marked with narrow and difficult turns. The Gospels remind us that the Way is found, but the path to destruction is wide and easy and many will find that path. Whom or what do I follow on my journey of life?
"I am the truth" – Jesus assures His disciples and takes away any confusion about it – He has fullness of the truth. Many over the centuries, including our own times, echo the question asked by Pilate, “What is truth?” The Truth as we believe is a person – Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He has the fullness of the Truth. If we look around in our own day, there are so many different religions, so many different cultures, ideas and context, and lots of them have little parts of the truth. There are lots of truth and goodness and beauty in the various major religions of the world. But Jesus is the Truth incarnate and not an alternative for other ideas, but rather the path to heavenly life and life with God. What is the truth that we follow in our lives?
"I am the life" – translates the Greek word “zóé” which means the supernatural life, eternal life, the life of the Trinity, the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, if we authentically want to have the life of the world to come, if we want the life of the Trinity, there is only one direction to go - Jesus of Nazareth. To have the Life we need to become His disciple, to walk in His Ways, to learn the fullness of truth from Him and live the life that He lived in order to enter fullness of the life of the Trinity.
The world around us tends to convince us that there are alternative ways of life. We are told that we can eat good food, drink good drinks, stay healthy, fit and exercise to keep yourself in shape, create our own spiritualty and even religion when nobody will tell us what to do. What is our life all about?
Today, the journey of Easter challenges us to respond to whom Jesus Christ is for us. This response, based on faith and believe, gives us reassurance of God’s promise for each one of us who believe, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.”
Friends, “greater works” are now our responsibility. It is our task to proclaim the Risen Lord, to grow in faith, to open our eyes to follow in the footsteps of the Way, to humbly embrace the liberating grace of His Truth and live our Life in the fullness of God’s plan for each one of us. These are the ways we will know God and bring Him glory, one holy moment at a time.
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” –St. Jerome
Have a blessed week everybody!
With prayers, Fr. Andy
