Gospel John 14:1-12
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”
Homily
As I have gotten older many persons say to me that I resemble my Father so much more than I did before. It seems that my resemblance to him has become so much more pronounced, not only because of the physical including my gestures but also because of the way in which I do things and the attitudes that I exhibit in my relationships with others. When I am told that I resemble my Father I am happy because of the love and respect that I have for him, a love and respect that has grown over the years as I discover things about him which I never knew.
As I began my meditation on the Gospel given to us for our meditation this weekend I thought of the above as I read the words; “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Unlike myself Jesus was terribly disappointed by the exchange with Philip. That exchange showed that Philip and the others had not understood who Jesus really was and what he was about. They never understood that Jesus was the human face of God; that in Jesus and through Him the love and mercy of God the Father for all humanity, especially the poor and suffering was revealed. What great love is revealed by Jesus’ passion, and death? What care and concern for humanity that even though we are/were sinners Christ, the human face of the Father, would give himself up for us?
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With reason Jesus would tell the disciples; “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves”. The healings which Jesus worked, the calling of dead persons back to life, the forgiveness of sins are all signs of the tremendous love of the Father for us.
But Jesus is no longer physically present to us and the people of our age still need to experience the tremendous love of the Father for them. Who will be the human face of God’s love for the people of our age, if not those who call themselves disciples of Jesus and who through baptism and confirmation are so conformed to Christ that they are other Christs in the present age. In other words that duty of being the human face of God today devolves upon us, upon you and upon me.
It is for this reason that Pope Francis continues to call us to be the face of the loving and merciful God for all with whom we come into contact. You and I today are called to be people of faith, touching the wounded Christ, as Thomas was called to do. Today Christ’s wounds are present to us in the sick and suffering and those who are so defaced that they no longer seem human. Today, they must experience the loving mercy of our heavenly Father.
Lest you believe that this cannot be done, a look at the lives of the saints tell us that it is possible to be the human face of the loving and merciful Father. Saints like Damian of Molokai who spent his life working and becoming one with lepers, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who gave up the comfort of the convent to attend to those dying on the streets of Calcutta, like John Bosco who dedicated his life to unwanted orphans, all show us that it is possible to be the human face of our loving and merciful God. While it is true that not everyone has the vocation to that extreme heroism all of us can make the loving and merciful face of God known in our homes and schools and places of work and recreation. It is only when this happens that we will have the kinder and gentler society which we all seek.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, the world in which we live is not the world which You want. It is not the kind and gentle place of your heart. The values which You gave to us in the beginning have all been supplanted by others. You have called us however to be agents of Restoration. The great saints of our Church have always understood this and gave their energies and their lives for this purpose. We are often afraid and discouraged Lord so help us to believe in your presence within us. Just as You told Philip that it was the Father dwelling in you doing his works, so convince us that it is You dwelling in us who will do Your work. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother and your Son Jesus. Amen.
