Jessel Pradeep Cutinha csc –
Readings: Acts 13: 44-52; Jn 14:7-14
Jesus and Father are one, though they are two persons. Jesus is the human face of God. Philip in today’s gospel wanted to have a proof about Jesus’ relationship with the Father. For he asks, “Lord show us the Father and it is enough for us.”
Is this not the same attitude of ours when we land into troubles and difficulties. We ask proofs about the existence of God. We say I believe in you Lord, only if you take away my difficulties. Is it not that we put the Lord to the test? When we land into troubles, we lose the connection with God and fail to feel His presence. But Jesus today tells us that to feel the presence God is to believe in Him and to believe in Him is to believe in His Father.
The gospel today highlights the unity between Father and Jesus, it also means that whatever Jesus said and did during his lifetime is the will of God. Jesus being a Divine person does the will of His Father, speaks exactly what God the Father wanted to speak. He relies on the words of God and humbles Himself in obedience. Are we obedient to God? Do we speak what God wants to speak through us or we rely on our own insights and wisdom?
Today’s first reading from Acts of the Apostles tells us that St. Paul and Barnabas spoke what the Lord commanded them to speak. In spite of persecution, they did what Lord said and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Today, we may find very difficult to speak for Jesus because our pride may block us from doing God’s will. We may at times also find it difficult to believe in Jesus and perhaps consider seeing extraordinary things or feeling God in an extraordinary way is to feel his presence. But the presence of God has to be felt and enjoyed in small little things or events of our daily lives. Therefore, Jesus today at the end of the gospel tells us that, “If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.”
The only requirement for this is to believe in Him that He and the Father are one.
I think that the statement of Jesus that “I and Father are one” is cancelled out by the verse “Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). If one were to dwell further Jesus was referring to his works in doing of which he asserts that the work is that of God and are being done by him on Father’s behalf. In that limited sense his saying that he and Father are one is to be understood.
As regards Jesus saying “Believe in me”, it is to be noted that Jesus doesn’t say therein “as what”. In my opinion the answer is in John 17:3 wherein he is talking to Father”, In John 17:3, Jesus defined eternal life saying, “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”. It would appear that the promise of eternal life is open to only those who believe that Father is the only true God and that Jesus is His emissary or messenger. Many people don’t know that upon being raised from the tomb, Jesus tells Mary (not his mother) as follows, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended. to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God”. (John20:17). Doesn’t it make matters perfectly clear that Father is the only true God. I wish that all Christians from all different kind of churches get together and examined the concept of Trinity. Perhaps the church fathers of yesteryears may have erred at the formative stage of Christian faith.