A reading from the gospel according to John 14:6-14:
6 Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.
12 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Reflection: Who is Jesus?
1. Jesus claims to be the way, the truth and the life. His way of life is the ultimate example of love, hope and service. It means that if we walk with Him, we will never go astray but instead, we will be able to reach our destination which is paradise. He will lead us on the path to heaven because He is our Good Shepherd. He is the truth, meaning, he holds what we need to know about God who is the source of true wisdom. Therefore let us always listen to Him. Finally, He is the life, the source of our nourishment both physical and spiritual.
2. Philip was one of the earliest apostles called by Jesus. After three years, he did not yet totally comprehend who Jesus is. Yet, he was humble enough to ask Jesus to show him the Father. Although the answer of Jesus was kind of a rebuke for his slow understanding, we thank him for his question because Jesus was able to expound about His relationship with the Father. We can now appreciate the unity of the Father and the Son. Together with the Holy Spirit, they form the Holy Trinity.
3. The last two verses should be taken as one. It is about prayer. Notice that Jesus said that He will grant whatever we ask in His name in order to give glory to the Father. In other words, our prayers will only be answered if it is for the glory of God. That is why recognizing the holiness of God’s name appears first in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15). Also, in 1 Corinthians 10:31, Saint Paul tells that in everything we do whether we eat or drink, we do all for the glory of God. It is therefore important that when we pray, we first give glory to Him.
