Gospel
John 14:6-14
6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. 7 If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also: and from henceforth you shall know him, and you have seen him. 8 Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father, and it is enough for us. 9 Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, shew us the Father? 10 Do you not believe, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself. But the Father who abideth in me, he doth the works.
11 Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? 12 Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do. 13 Because I go to the Father: and whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do: that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you shall ask me any thing in my name, that I will do.
We certainly cannot fault Saint Phillip for not recognizing that the man before him, no matter how great, was the eternal God who existed before time. After all, Jesus was a humble man, from a poor family and only around 30 years old. No one without divine insight could have looked at the man, Jesus, and have known who He truly is. That is why our Lord said that the Father had revealed to Saint Peter His true identity. “Flesh and blood” could not comprehend it.
Now, we kneel at Holy Mass and see God in an even more difficult to perceive form – He who is truly God and truly Man is also truly bread and wine. Only through faith may we begin to understand. How many Christians will fully accept the last lines of this verse, And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it", but will not believe that a Catholic priest, who asks God to be fully present in the consecration of the bread and wine of the Eucharist will fulfill His promise?
Think of it for a moment… Christians pray for healing, sustenance, comfort, safety, family, all manner of needs, fully believing that God will answer their prayers. Yet, so many refuse to believe that our Lord does exactly what He promised both in His institution of the Eucharist and in this promise to answer our prayers. Many also doubt His plain words concerning Baptism and Reconciliation. How can we believe that Jesus is truly God and yet limit the scope of His powers by our lack of understanding? Surely, God can do anything. Why would you put Him in a box built by your own limitations?
We do not need to understand the mysteries of God. We need, merely, to believe – that is faith. Faith is believing in the humanly impossible because for God, all things are possible. There are many difficult teaching in the Bible and in Sacred Tradition. Nearly every aspect of our religion is incredible if not seen through the eyes of faith. I would urge you not to put limits on God based on your own limited understanding. Believe He can work miracles, and He will!
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.
Judson, I facilitate my patients prayer chain. When I send out to our prayer warriors by email the requests that come in, I always end it with a quote. I have copied down some of your words. May I quote you giving credit to you? Kathleen Daley