Saturday, May 6, 2023

SHOW US THE FATHER

"Lord, show us the Father,"



Twice this week the liturgy presented us with the passage from John Chapter 14, in which Philip ask Jesus “show us the father.” 




As a Jew, Philip is aware of that mysterious passage in the 24th chapter of Exodus:


Moses then went up [Mount Sinai] with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel, and they beheld the God of Israel. Under his feet there appeared to be sapphire tilework, as clear as the sky itself. Yet he did not lay a hand on these chosen Israelites. They saw God, and they ate and drank (Ex.24:9-11).




So maybe Philip has in mind some sort of great theophany like this one. But look at Jesus’s response. He has been revealing to his apostles the deep, intimate closeness that he has with his father. So close that the two are united, almost as one. So Jesus answers “he who sees me sees the father.” 

But this dialogue is getting too abstract, it seems, even for the writer of John’s gospel. So Jesus goes on in a practical vein: "Whoever believes in me, will do the works that I do, and even greater than these."

Now he is speaking about doing. But if this not a promise that we’ll be able to perform miracles the way he did, what kind of works could he be talking about?  Look at the context: In the preceding chapter he has just washed the disciples' feet, and is about to give himself in love to die on the cross. This is who Jesus is. He is also revealing to us who God the Father is: God is love. Pure, self-sacrificing love.


In our own lives, Jesus is telling us, we have to be about the same works of love -- and we can’t wait for someone to ask us “Show me the Father.” We have to be showing this Father all the time to everyone we meet. 

To a friend who is grieving, we can show the Father of compassion and comfort. 

To someone who is discouraged, we can show the Father of strength and perseverance. 

Showing people the Father is always about love. Loving is our vocation as baptized Christians. 

Our Lord is asking us to spend our lives "showing people the Father," the Father of love, compassion, humility, and peace.





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