In our Gospel passage, when Jesus says to his disciples, "Let not your hearts be troubled," he is really touching the hearts of all human beings. We are all deeply troubled about many things: things about ourselves, our relationships, our future, our society and world. The list is long. In the face of this, Jesus reminds us that our lives are not merely isolated and meaningless phenomena. Our lives are the creation of God, and for the duration of our lives, Jesus offers himself as our lifelong companion.
Jesus then speaks of the destiny of our lives. Life in this world is not all that there is! This may seem fairly obvious to most Christians, yet the sad fact is that many Christians are so influenced by the culture we live in that they no longer see their lives as being lived out as part of a greater life. We need to be reminded of this greater life by Christ's clear and most direct words to us in this passage(vvs. 2 and 3).
Thomas' cry expresses something we all feel. What is the purpose of human life and how do we live it? Jesus' response to Thomas applies to all of us. The way we try to live our lives is the way that Christ did. The truth we try to find in life, and the meaning we attach to our life, is the meaning that Christ saw for his life. For Jesus, the truth about life is that it is a gift from God. The way to live it is to give it back to God in service day by day in all that we do. For Jesus, this was the way and the truth and the life. So it is for us.
The age old question, both inside and outside of the religious community is, who was Jesus and who is he for Christians. The discussions will continue to the end of time since Jesus Christ is a profound and eternal mystery. But we can look at what Jesus says in our passage to Philip in order to hear a great truth about Jesus which we can hold onto always. Philip asked Jesus to show him God. It is something we all desire – to know the essential meaning and source of life. But Jesus turns to Philip and tells him that he, Philip, has already seen a portrait of God in this very friend, Jesus, the one with whom he is talking.
Jesus is our window into the nature of God. Whenever we are conscious of Jesus presence with us, we are also becoming aware of God's working within us. To know such things, and to believe them, and then to use them as the basis for our approach to life, is to have tremendous spiritual resources and blessings available to us, day by day. Thanks be to God!
Love,
Fr. Bob+
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