The Holy Gospel according to John (14:1-6)
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.”
Reflection: I am of the baby-boomer generation. I grew up before we had smart phones with GPS applications. Before smart phones, our GPS was the Thomas Guide map book. If you were traveling out of state, you went to the Auto Club to get the folded maps with the route to your destination highlighted. All of these gave us directions to our destinations. This reminds me of a sign I saw while driving past a small church. The sign read, “Is the road you are on leading you to my place? God. If not, I allow
U-turns.” This is a question you and I need to ask ourselves from time to time while we are on our earthly journey. Is our “spiritual” GPS set with directions that will lead you and me to our Father’s house? In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us all the directions we need. He proclaims, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So what are the directions Jesus gives us?
“I am the Way.” Jesus gives us direction and counsel. He personally leads and guides us everyday. You and I cannot get lost if we follow him.
“I am The Truth.” Moral truth cannot be expressed in words alone; it must be expressed by example. Many can say, I have taught you the truth, but only Jesus can say I am the Truth. The truth will set us free.
“I am the Life.” Jesus shows us the path of life and how to live our life. As he tells us earlier in John’s Gospel, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Thomas a Kempis, a15th century Catholic monk, wrote, “Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living.”
Jesus is our spiritual GPS and guide. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus will lead us to our Father’s house as he tells us, “Come, and follow me.”
Action for the day: Our journey needs to be recalculated from time to time. For us, this is usually when we sin. Sin leads us away from our Father’s house. Confession is our recalculation, resetting our GPS to direct us to our Father’s house. It has been 4 weeks since Easter. If we need to recalculate, go to confession. Ask for our Lord’s mercy, forgiveness and compassion.
Audio Reflection:
