The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the events in our life that have illuminated the Way, revealed Truth and made our lives more full.
Finding Hope on the Way
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul applies “You are my Son; today I have begotten you” to Jesus.
* [13:31] The theme of the Galilean witnesses is a major one in the Gospel of Luke and in Acts and is used to signify the continuity between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the church and to guarantee the fidelity of the church’s teachings to the words of Jesus.1
Psalm 2 declares God’s Promise to His Anointed.
* [Psalm 2] A royal Psalm. To rebellious kings (Ps 2:1–3) God responds vigorously (Ps 2:4–6). A speaker proclaims the divine decree (in the legal adoption language of the day), making the Israelite king the earthly representative of God (Ps 2:7–9) and warning kings to obey (Ps 2:10–11). The Psalm has a messianic meaning for the Church; the New Testament understands it of Christ (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Heb 1:5).2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is identified as the Way to the Father.
* [14:6] The truth: in John, the divinely revealed reality of the Father manifested in the person and works of Jesus. The possession of truth confers knowledge and liberation from sin (Jn 8:32).3
David Crawford connects Jesus' Last Supper Discourse to preparing for final exams. The teacher starts with “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” The teacher starts with “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He stresses the need for faith and then reminds them of things he has told them previously, finishing with the encouragement “you know the way.”
We often find ourselves anxious and uncertain about so many things in our lives, and those moments are even more stressful when there is no clear solution to a problem. These are times for a quick review of the basic points from the opening verses of John 14. Be calm. Trust in Jesus. Remember His promises. Follow Him. In other words: Don’t worry. You know this.4
Don Schwager quotes “Walk by faith in the truth,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Persevere now in walking by faith in the truth, that you may succeed in coming at a definite and due time to the sight of the same truth. For as the apostle says, 'While staying here in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we are walking by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). We are led to the direct sight and vision of the Father by Christian faith. That is why the Lord says, 'No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (excerpt from SERMON 12.5)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 14:1-6 comments that every miracle Jesus performed, every parable he told, every sermon he preached demonstrates the love our heavenly Father has for us and the way he wants us to live in love with each other. Everything that Jesus did as he walked the earth, as well as all that he does now as he works in and through his Church, is a proclamation of this love. This truth is the foundation for the whole of creation—it is the foundation for each of our lives.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. In him, we lack nothing. He has given us so much more than pardon for our sins. He has given us a whole new way of living, a life in union with his heavenly Father. Don’t be afraid to reach out and grasp it today! “Jesus, I love you. Open my eyes to see and know you more. Open my heart to receive your life more deeply today!”6
Friar Jude Winkler notes in the kerygma preached by Paul the “Son of God” is raised from an honorific title for leaders to reveal the nature of Jesus. The passage from the Last Supper Discourse today previews Resurrection, Ascension, and Eternal Life with Jesus. Friar Jude reminds us to follow the Way and the truth and experience life so profound we are fully alive eternally.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that for people who face situations like acknowledging the Caesars as Lord or struggling against apartheid, the Apocalypse is an exciting, inspiring, and marvelous book. It is a book which, in our sociopolitical situation, is a constant call for conversion and change. But we shall have to learn to read it differently.
The clue to understanding the Apocalypse as protest literature—and at the same time the answer to the question as to why so few scholars understand it in this way—lies, I think, in Revelation 1:9: “I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance [of suffering].” This is the key. Those who do not know this suffering through oppression, who do not struggle together with God’s people for the sake of the gospel, and who do not feel in their own bodies the meaning of oppression and the freedom and joy of fighting against it shall have grave difficulty understanding this letter from Patmos.7
Our decision to follow the Way opens our spirit to the truth of love as the life source for our journey.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment