Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, 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, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 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 say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

As I read through today’s gospel, I imagine what it would have been like for the disciples to have had this dialogue with Jesus.

In the text itself, we see both Thomas and Philip interacting with Jesus, and Thomas’ earnest question: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” This question leads us to one of the most quoted lines of John’s gospel – Jesus’ response that he is “the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

So, here we have a clear path of the way to eternal life. A way to enter into the divine relationship of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This way is not a map, or a set of rules or instructions to follow, but rather, it is through a relationship with a person. The person of Jesus Christ.

Christ is seeking to meet each one of us in our own lives, right now. God is the activator of this relationship, and it is our role to become aware of and receive God’s invitation, and simply say ‘yes’ to the grace that is being offered.

The risen Jesus is alive in us now, and is still the way that we can have confidence of entering into the heavenly banquet, to eternal life.

Spend some time in prayer today saying ‘yes’ to Jesus, who wants to love you and meet you exactly where you are in your life today.