Fifth Sunday of Easter, cycle A

JOHN 14:1-12
JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME, I SYMPATHIZE WITH THOMAS AND PHILIP. TODAY'S GOSPEL IS PART OF A MUCH LONGER PASSAGE CALLED “THE LAST DISCOURSE” WHICH ENDS IN THE “HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER” OF JESUS, AND IT IS VERY “THEOLOGICAL”. WHEN YOU REMEMBER THAT THE APOSTLES WERE MOSTLY ILLITERATE FISHERMEN, SOMETIMES JESUS SAID THINGS THAT MADE THEIR HEADS SWIM. SOMETIMES THEY MAKE MY HEAD SWIM.
AFTER ASSURING THE APOSTLES THAT HE IS GOING TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR THEM, AND WILL COME BACK FOR THEM, HE TELLS THEM THAT THEY KNOW THE WAY TO WHERE HE IS GOING. “WAIT A MINUTE, LORD!” SAYS THOMAS, WHO HAS BEEN LISTENING CAREFULLY AND THINKS MAYBE HE MISSED SOMETHING. “WE DON'T KNOW THAT!” AND THEN JESUS SAYS HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. AND JUST TO CONFUSE THEM FURTHER, HE TELLS THEM THAT FROM THIS TIME ON THEY KNOW THE FATHER, THEY HAVE SEEN HIM. “WAIT A MINUTE, LORD!” SAYS PHILIP. “JUST SHOW US THE FATHER, AND THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!” AND THEN JESUS SAYS, “IF YOU HAVE SEEN ME, YOU HAVE SEEN THE FATHER.”
I'M SURE THE APOSTLES WERE HOPING THERE WOULDN'T BE A TEST. I KNOW THAT WOULD BE MY HOPE.
THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN RAISED CATHOLICS MIGHT TAKE REFUGE IN DOCTRINES AND DOGMAS. JESUS IS THE WAY BECAUSE HE DIED AND ROSE AGAIN SO WE COULD LIVE; HE IS THE TRUTH BECAUSE HE TAUGHT US HOW TO LIVE; HE IS LIFE BECAUSE HE GIVES US LIFE; IF WE SEE HIM, WE SEE THE FATHER, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE AND THE FATHER ARE ONE. ONE GOD, THREE PERSONS. WE KNOW THE ANSWERS. TOO BAD THOSE APOSTLES DIDN'T TAKE CCD OR STUDY THEIR BALTIMORE CATECHISMS.
BUT WHAT DID THE APOSTLES BELIEVE? IF JESUS HAD JUST TOLD YOU HE WAS GOING TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT HE WAS GOING SOMEWHERE, MAYBE ACROSS THE JORDAN, MAYBE BACK IN CAPARNUM. AND IT IS AGAINST THIS IDEA THAT JESUS SAYS THAT HE IS THE WAY, AND THE ONLY WAY TO THE FATHER IS THROUGH HIM.
MANY GREAT RELIGIOUS LEADERS HAVE PROPOSED WAYS. THE BUDDHA TALKED ABOUT THE EIGHTFOLD PATH; MOHAMMED DESCRIBED THE FIVE PILLARS. MOSES GAVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. JESUS IS THE ONLY RELIGIOUS LEADER WHO DID NOT LEAVE DIRECTIONS AS TO HOW TO PLEASE GOD AND WIN SALVATION. INSTEAD, HE SAID THAT FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR SALVATION, FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR ETERNAL HAPPINESS, IS A RELATIONSHIP, THE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. AND THIS IS A REAL RELATIONSHIP. ALL THE SACRAMENTS, ALL THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH, THE ENTIRE BIBLE, AS WONDERFUL AS THEY ARE, AS SACRED AS THEY ARE, ARE NOT WORTH ANYTHING IF THEY DON'T CREATE AND BUILD THIS RELATIONSHIP. AND THERE IS A SIMPLE WAY OF LOOKING AT THIS. JESUS IS THE ONE WHO DIES, AND RISES AGAIN. JESUS IS THE ONE WHO SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER. THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN GO TO THE FATHER IS THE ONE WHO CAME FROM THE FATHER – JESUS SAID THAT, NOT ME. BUT JESUS MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR EACH OF US TO BECOME PART OF HIS BODY, AND THAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ENTER INTO THAT RELATIONSHIP.
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, THERE IS A CONSTANT REFRAIN; YOU HAVE TO DIE TO YOURSELF, AND RISE IN CHRIST; IF YOU WANT THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, YOU HAVE TO SELL EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE IT.
NOW MOST OF US ARE NOT ENTIRELY THERE. I HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST, AS I'M SURE YOU DO. BUT I CERTAINLY AM NOT WHERE I WANT TO BE. I AM STILL ATTACHED TO THINGS, MY DESIRE TO BE ONE WITH CHRIST CONFLICTS WITH MY DESIRE TO BE COMFORTABLE, TO HAVE STUFF, TO ENJOY BEING WITH MY WIFE AND CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN – AND IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, IF I KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO DIE TOMORROW, I WOULD HAVE A LOT OF REGRETS ABOUT WHAT I WOULD LEAVE BEHIND, EVEN THOUGH MY FAITH TELLS ME THAT I WOULD HAVE EVERYTHING I COULD POSSIBLY WANT TO BE HAPPY IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS. NO WONDER I NEED PURGATORY.
EVERY TIME WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, WHICH IS THE TRUE BODY OF CHRIST, NOT BREAD, WE ACT OUT WHAT OUR SOULS DESIRE – TO BECOME ONE WITH JESUS. BUT VERY FEW PEOPLE GET ALL THE WAY THERE IN THIS LIFETIME.
WELL ENOUGH FOR THOMAS' PROBLEM. WHAT ABOUT PHILIP? PHILIP KNOWS WHAT THE FATHER SHOULD BE LIKE. A PILLAR OF FIRE, A MAJESTIC POWER THROWING LIGHTNING BOLTS FROM HEAVEN, A WARRIOR SMITING THE PEOPLE WHO OPPRESS THE JEWS. IN SHORT, SOMEONE WHO MAKES YOU QUAKE IN YOUR SANDALS JUST TO LOOK AT HIM. AFTER ALL, WHAT DID HE TELL MOSES? NO ONE CAN LOOK ON MY FACE AND LIVE. BUT NO, JESUS SAYS, IF YOU SEE ME, YOU SEE THE FATHER. THE FATHER IS WHEREVER HIS WORKS ARE, AND JESUS DOES HIS WORKS, AND SO CAN YOU AND SO CAN I, EVEN GREATER WORKS THAN JESUS DID. AGAIN, ITS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIP. THE FATHER IS FATHER OF THE SON, FATHER OF THE UNIVERSE, FATHER OF YOU AND I. BEING A FATHER IS NOT ONE OF THE QUALITIES OF GOD; FATHER DEFINES GOD, JUST AS LOVE DEFINES GOD, JUST AS THE WORKS OF GOD DEFINE GOD. IT HURTS THE BRAIN, IT IS A MYSTERY, WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT – BUT JESUS TELLS US, WE DON'T HAVE TO LOOK FURTHER THAN HIM TO SEE THE FATHER. AND BY THE WAY, THAT'S THE REASON WE AND THE ORTHODOX VENERATE THE BLESSED MOTHER AND THE SAINTS. BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE THE WORK OF THE FATHER, WE CAN SEE THE FATHER IN THEM AS WELL, ALTHOUGH NOT IN THE SAME SENSE AS WE SEE THE FATHER IN JESUS.
SO JESUS MAKES TWO VERY PROFOUND AND YET VERY SIMPLE POINTS TODAY, AND WHAT HE SAYS MAY TAKE US A LIFETIME TO UNDERSTAND; IT CERTAINLY TOOK A LONG TIME FOR THE APOSTLES TO UNDERSTAND IT. IF WE WANT TO FULFILL OUR HUMAN DESTINY WHICH IS TO BE WITH JESUS IN HIS FATHER'S HOUSE IN THE PLACE HE HAS PREPARED FOR US, WE MUST BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. IF WE WANT TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE FATHER, WE MUST KNOW JESUS. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BRILLIANT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SINLESS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO GREAT THINGS OR WRITE GREAT BOOKS. BUT YOU DO HAVE TO KNOW JESUS AND ENTER INTO THE RELATIONSHIP HE OFFERS YOU.
OUR CHURCH SAYS THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IS SOMETHING AVAILABLE TO EVERY HUMAN BEING. CERTAINLY WE CAN SEE EXAMPLES OF PROFOUND HOLINESS EVERYWHERE WE GO IN THIS WORLD. GOD IS SO GENEROUS. BUT OUR CHURCH TEACHES, AND I BELIEVE ITS TRUE, THAT WE CATHOLICS HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW JESUS AND BE ONE WITH HIM. AND WHAT A WORLD IT WOULD BE IF OUR RELATIONSHIP WAS STRONG ENOUGH, DEEP ENOUGH, SO THAT WE COULD DO THE WORKS THAT JESUS DID, EVEN GREATER ONES?
THIS WEEK LET US EXAMINE OUR OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, AND SEEK OUT WAYS TO MAKE IT STRONGER.