Fifth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

JOHN 14:1-12
YOU MAY REMEMBER THE STORY IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS ABOUT THE TIME MOSES WENT UP ON THE MOUNTAIN AND THE ISRAELITES PERSUADED AARON TO MAKE A GOLDEN CALF FOR THEM SO THEY WOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO WORSHIP. AND OF COURSE, GOD BECAME VERY ANGRY AND IT WAS ALL MOSES COULD DO TO PERSUADE GOD NOT TO DESTROY THEM. SOMETIMES WE THINK THAT THE GOLDEN CALF WAS A FALSE GOD, A PAGAN DEITY; BUT ANTHROPOLOGISTS WHO STUDY THESE THINGS AREN'T SO SURE. SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT THE ISRAELITES WERE SIMPLY IMITATING THE EGYPTIANS, WHO HAD EACH OF THEIR GODS REPRESENTED BY SOME KIND OF ANIMAL. SO THEY JUST WANTED TO BE LIKE OTHER PEOPLE AND HAVE A REPRESENTATION OF GOD. BUT OF COURSE THE GOLDEN CALF WAS DESTROYED AND NEVER AGAIN, EVEN TO THIS DAY, HAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE TRIED TO PORTRAY GOD. NOT SO WE CATHOLICS. OUR CHURCHES ARE FULL OF IMAGES WHICH DEPICT GOD. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT JESUS, NOW. BUT GOD THE FATHER HAS BEEN AN OLD MAN WITH A LONG WHITE BEARD FOR A LONG TIME – ON THE CEILING OF THE POPE'S OWN CHAPEL HE REACHES DOWN FROM THE CLOUDS TO TOUCH THE FINGER OF ADAM AND GIVE HIM LIFE. AND THE SAME IS TRUE OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT – A DOVE, A TONGUE OF FLAME – WE KNOW THE CODE.
BUT WE KNOW THAT WE CAN'T DEPICT GOD, OR EVEN DESCRIBE HIM. AN OLD MYSTICAL TRADITION IS TO SIT QUIETLY AND THINK ABOUT GOD, AND EVERY TIME WE FORM A PICTURE, WE BLOT IT OUT. SOONER OR LATER, THE WORD “GOD” WILL NO LONGER BE ASSOCIATED WITH PICTURES, AND WHEN OUR MINDS REACH THIS POINT, WE BEGIN TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF GOD. A BEGINNING, OF COURSE, NEVER TO BE COMPLETED UNTIL WE'VE GONE ON TO THE NEXT LIFE; AND EVEN THERE WE WILL SPEND AN ETERNITY NEVER COMPLETELY GRASPING WHO GOD IS.
IN TODAY'S GOSPEL PHILIP SAYS, “MASTER, SHOW US THE FATHER, AND THAT WILL BE ENOUGH FOR US.” THE QUESTION SEEMS TO COME OUT OF THE BLUE. BUT JESUS HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE FATHER, AND SPEAKING ABOUT HIM IN SUCH A PERSONAL WAY, THAT PHILIP COULD BE FORGIVEN IF HE HAD CONCLUDED THAT JESUS HAD SOME SORT OF SECRET KNOWLEDGE. AFTER ALL, JESUS HAD JUST SAID IN REFERENCE TO THE FATHER, “FROM NOW ON YOU DO KNOW HIM AND HAVE SEEN HIM.” JESUS GOES ON TO SAY, “BELIEVE ME THAT I AM IN THE FATHER AND THE FATHER IS IN ME, OR ELSE, BELIEVE BECAUSE OF THE WORKS THAT I DO.”
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS SAID THE GOD WAS PURE ACT. YOU AND I ARE CAPABLE OF ACTING BUT OUR ACTIONS ARE NOT IDENTICAL TO OUR SELVES. NOT SO WITH GOD; YOU CAN'T SAY “THERE IS GOD, AND THERE IS HIS ACTION.” GOD IS ACTION, JUST AS GOD IS LOVE.
JESUS SEEMS TO BE SAYING THAT IF YOU SEE HIS WORKS, YOU WILL SEE GOD; AND THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THE WORKS OF JESUS ARE THE WORKS OF THE FATHER, AND THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ONE, AND THAT ONE IS PURE ACT. IT'S HARD TO GET OUR MINDS AROUND BUT IT'S TRUE, IF YOU BELIEVE AQUINAS.
IF PHILIP WANTS TO SEE THE FATHER, HE NEEDS TO LOOK AT JESUS; BUT NOT JUST THAT, AT JESUS ACTING, CARRYING OUT THE WORKS THAT ORIGINATE WITH THE FATHER. AND THAT HAS IMMENSE IMPLICATIONS FOR YOU AND I.
WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL TO SEE GOD? HEAVEN, AFTER ALL, IS WHAT WE ALL DESIRE, AND IN HEAVEN WE WILL SPEND ETERNITY GAZING ON GOD, IN A SENSE, AND NEVER BEING BORED, NEVER BEING UNHAPPY, ALWAYS BEING COMPLETELY FULFILLED – IN THAT ETERNAL NOW ALL OUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED, ALL THAT WE LACKED ON EARTH WILL BE GIVEN TO US, AND IT WILL ALL BE IN THAT MYSTERIOUS MOMENT WHEN WE GAZE UPON GOD. BUT WE CAN BEGIN THAT MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. THINK ABOUT WHAT ELSE JESUS SAYS: “THE MAN WHO HAS FAITH IN ME WILL DO THE WORKS THAT I DO, AND EVEN GREATER THAN THESE.” IF ULTIMATELY WE SEE GOD IN THE WORKS OF JESUS, AND IF IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS DOES THE WORKS OF JESUS, THEN WHEN WE SEE THOSE WORKS, WE ARE SEEING THE FATHER, WE ARE SEEING GOD, IF ONLY DIMLY.
SHOULD WE ALL RUN OUT AND LOOK FOR ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA, OR MAYBE STUDY SISTER OLGA WHO CAME TO OUR PARISH A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS? SHOULD WE SEEK OUT HOLY PEOPLE DOING THE WORKS OF JESUS, SO THAT WE CAN SEE SOME GLIMPSE OF THE FATHER?
WELL, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE MISSING THE POINT. CERTAINLY WE SHOULD REJOICE WHEN WE SEE SOMEONE DOING THE WORKS OF JESUS; IT'S A SIGN THAT GOD IS NOT IN SOME FAR-OFF HEAVEN, BUT RATHER, THAT HE IS IN OUR MIDST. WHEN WE SEE STREET PEOPLE BEING FED, WHEN WE SEE CHILDREN BEING TAUGHT THE FAITH AND MAKING THEIR FIRST COMMUNION, WHEN WE SEE THE SICK BEING VISITED – THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES WE CAN SEE THE FATHER IN ACTION IF WE JUST OPEN OUR EYES. AND IN THOSE ACTIONS WE CAN CATCH A GLIMPSE OF GOD.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE, SOMETHING THAT SAINT FRANCIS, AMONG OTHERS, UNDERSTOOD. IF YOU WANT TO SEE GOD, YOU LOOK AT THE WORKS OF JESUS. BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO ONE MORE STEP AND EXPERIENCE GOD, YOU YOURSELF DO THE WORKS OF GOD. FRANCIS, AND MANY OTHER SAINTS, SET OUT TO CONSCIOUSLY IMITATE JESUS – FRANCIS PROBABLY MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE. AND EVERYONE WHO KNEW FRANCIS, AND ALL HIS FOLLOWERS DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS, EVEN TO TODAY, SEE SOMETHING OF GOD IN THE WORKS OF FRANCIS, AND EXPERIENCE SOMETHING OF GOD IN THEIR OWN IMITATION OF THEIR FOUNDER. THE SAME OF COURSE COULD BE SAID OF SO MANY OTHER SAINTS.
SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE GOD, GO FIND WHERE THE WORKS OF JESUS ARE BEING CARRIED OUT. BUT IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE GOD, DO THE WORKS OF JESUS. YOU WILL BE SETTING ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN, AND THERE ISN'T ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT, MORE WORTHWHILE.
AND IF YOU DO THE WORKS OF JESUS, YOU WILL BE SHOWING OTHERS THE FATHER.
GOD SHOWS HIMSELF TO US IN THE WORKS OF JESUS; SOME OF THOSE WHO SEE THOSE WORKS CHOOSE TO DO THEM THEMSELVES, AND EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD; AND WHEN SOME CHOOSE TO DO THE WORKS OF GOD, OTHERS SEE GOD. THE REASON FOR THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN THOSE EARLY DAYS WAS BECAUSE CHRISTIANS WERE SHOWING GOD TO THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM. AND IT CAN BE SO TODAY. GO OUT AND DO THE WORKS OF JESUS.