It has been a month since we celebrated Easter Sunday. However the Gospel for today takes us to the day, or rather the night, when Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples. Then Our Blessed Lord gave the Church the sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders as well as the commandment of love. This Sunday we witness a conversation from the Last Supper, between Jesus and two of his disciples: Thomas and Philip. Should we block our ears in order not to eavesdrop on them?
My Dear fellow disciples! Don’t block your ears bur rather pay a close attention to every word of this conversation. It is not a private conversation, though it is a personal conversation. It is as personal as the Eucharist is personal. It is personal because it makes us who we are as Christians. So let us gather the words of the conversation from the Holy Thursday night, which we have just heard.
Answering Thomas Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.’ These are mysterious words, however their mystery reveals God to us and draws us into God.
The beginning of the sentence brings us into the moment when Moses saw a burning bush in the desert from which God revealed his name to him: ‘I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.’ In the Cenacle there was no burning bush but there was the Son of God burning with love to save people.
This Son of God burning with love to save people reveals himself: ‘I am the Way.’ He is the Way with a clear direction. He is the Way to the Father. This Chapter 14 of St John’s Gospel, which is the second chapter about the Last Supper, is filled with the language drawn from the family reality. It will be the language used by Jesus for the rest of the Last Supper. ‘I am the Way’ reveals to us that Jesus is going to the Father as the Son. ‘I am the Way’ reveals to us that this is our Way too to the Father, that this is the only Way to the Father. We can only go to the Father as his sons and daughters in Jesus Christ who is ‘the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.’ Jesus saves women and men by making them his brothers and sisters and thus bringing them to his Father as Father’s daughters and sons.
This Son of God burning with love to save women and men by making them his sisters and brothers reveals himself: ‘I am the Truth.’ The following day, on Good Friday, Pilate asked Jesus: ‘Truth? What is that?’ He didn’t wait for Jesus’ answer. However soon he faced the answer when after having Jesus scourged he brought him out for everyone to see. Then Pilate said: ‘Here is the man.’ This man bitten and humiliated was the answer to Pilate’s question. St Albert Chmielowski, who was close to the heart of St John Paul II, produced a painting which captures that scene. The painting shows that the saint recognised what Pilate missed. The scarlet robe forms the shape of a heart because St Albert is his contemplation of the Gospel was struck by the insight that the bitten and humiliated Jesus was the revelation of God’s love. Jesus is the Truth. He reveals to us God’s love for us. The Truth is that God loves us. I invite you to spend some time before this image. I hope it can be engraved on your soul too. Accept the Father and Jesus’ love for you.
This Son of God burning with love to save women and men by making them his sisters and brothers reveals himself: ‘I am the Life.’ Three days later, on Easter Sunday, He was the Life resurrected. He was the Life coming to his sisters and brothers to reassure them that nothing could kill God’s love for them. Neither Pilate nor their sins.
My Dear Sisters and Brothers! We have listened attentively to words of Jesus from the Last Supper. They are personal words. They are personal for Jesus. They are personal for us. Can it be otherwise? They reveal that He is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life.’ They reveal also who we are so that with faith, hope and love we can say after St John: ‘We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.’ This love has the name and the face of Jesus.
My Dear fellow disciples! Don’t block your ears bur rather pay a close attention to every word of this conversation. It is not a private conversation, though it is a personal conversation. It is as personal as the Eucharist is personal. It is personal because it makes us who we are as Christians. So let us gather the words of the conversation from the Holy Thursday night, which we have just heard.
Answering Thomas Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.’ These are mysterious words, however their mystery reveals God to us and draws us into God.
The beginning of the sentence brings us into the moment when Moses saw a burning bush in the desert from which God revealed his name to him: ‘I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.’ In the Cenacle there was no burning bush but there was the Son of God burning with love to save people.
This Son of God burning with love to save people reveals himself: ‘I am the Way.’ He is the Way with a clear direction. He is the Way to the Father. This Chapter 14 of St John’s Gospel, which is the second chapter about the Last Supper, is filled with the language drawn from the family reality. It will be the language used by Jesus for the rest of the Last Supper. ‘I am the Way’ reveals to us that Jesus is going to the Father as the Son. ‘I am the Way’ reveals to us that this is our Way too to the Father, that this is the only Way to the Father. We can only go to the Father as his sons and daughters in Jesus Christ who is ‘the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.’ Jesus saves women and men by making them his brothers and sisters and thus bringing them to his Father as Father’s daughters and sons.
This Son of God burning with love to save women and men by making them his sisters and brothers reveals himself: ‘I am the Truth.’ The following day, on Good Friday, Pilate asked Jesus: ‘Truth? What is that?’ He didn’t wait for Jesus’ answer. However soon he faced the answer when after having Jesus scourged he brought him out for everyone to see. Then Pilate said: ‘Here is the man.’ This man bitten and humiliated was the answer to Pilate’s question. St Albert Chmielowski, who was close to the heart of St John Paul II, produced a painting which captures that scene. The painting shows that the saint recognised what Pilate missed. The scarlet robe forms the shape of a heart because St Albert is his contemplation of the Gospel was struck by the insight that the bitten and humiliated Jesus was the revelation of God’s love. Jesus is the Truth. He reveals to us God’s love for us. The Truth is that God loves us. I invite you to spend some time before this image. I hope it can be engraved on your soul too. Accept the Father and Jesus’ love for you.
This Son of God burning with love to save women and men by making them his sisters and brothers reveals himself: ‘I am the Life.’ Three days later, on Easter Sunday, He was the Life resurrected. He was the Life coming to his sisters and brothers to reassure them that nothing could kill God’s love for them. Neither Pilate nor their sins.
My Dear Sisters and Brothers! We have listened attentively to words of Jesus from the Last Supper. They are personal words. They are personal for Jesus. They are personal for us. Can it be otherwise? They reveal that He is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life.’ They reveal also who we are so that with faith, hope and love we can say after St John: ‘We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.’ This love has the name and the face of Jesus.
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