Recognising him who is the way the truth and the life

Friday in the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Acts 13:26-33; Jn 14:1-6 

There is an old joke that goes something like this: a newly ordained priest was assigned by his bishop to a parish in a village he was not familiar with. As he was trying to find his way around the village, he asked a little boy the directions to the church. "Gee," said the boy, "You came to show us the way to heaven and you do not even know the way to the church!"

In today's gospel, Jesus tells us that he is the way to the Father. If we fail to recognise him, we will also fail to find our way to the Father.

Incidentally, this is also what links the first reading with the Gospel. Paul tells his listeners in the synagogue that Jesus was put to death by the leaders because they failed to recognise him. Thomas in the Gospel is still wondering who Jesus. But Jesus helps him - and us - recognise him.

Recognising Jesus is obviously not a question of recognising his facial features. It is a question of understanding, and believing in faith, who he is.

He is the way, the truth and the life.

Henri J Nouwen reminds us that we are loved from all eternity till all eternity. For a few years we are sent on this earth and Jesus came to accompany us in our journey towards the Father. We have many opportunities to take any way that we want but they do not all lead us to the Father where we belong.

It is not wonder that we often meet the metaphor of the way in the Scriptures and in Early Christian writings. The first Psalm speaks of those who are blessed because they choose the right path from the wrong path. In the Didache, which is a small book with the teaching of the apostles, dating back to the first 150 years or so there is a whole description of these two ways, the way of vice and sin and the way of virtue and holiness. No wonder the first Christians were described simply as those who are in "The Way."

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Unfortunately there are many who still do not recognise him as neither the way, nor the truth and much less the life. It we fail to recognise Jesus we also fail to recognise who were are. When I was once with a group of fellow university students doing voluntary work in a remote village in East Africa. We were struck by a rusty old sign of Coca Cola. The priest who was taking us around said, "Isn't it impressive that these villagers have heard of Coca Cola but most of them would have never heard of Jesus Christ?"

Therefore let us pray in a special way for all those who have not yet recognised him, especially those who do not want to recognise him and may we all have the missionary zeal of St Paul to help other recognise Jesus and thus help them find their way to the Father.