Word to the Wise
Friday, April 18, 2008 - Friday in the Fourth Week of Easter
[Acts 13:26-33 and John 14:1-6]I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Christianity, Judaism and Islam share a very important characteristic. They are what is called "a revealed religion." For Jews, God revealed God's self to Moses in the burning bush and subsequently gave to Moses the law as the way in which Jews must live. For Islam, the revelation to Mohammed from God is the Koran which Moslems regard as God's actual words of revelation - not just God's truth in human words. For Christians, the definitive revelation of God is the person of Jesus Christ. The words of the bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit as a way of teaching us about Christ. This means they are a revelation from God. In the Gospel of John, the "Farewell Discourse" of Jesus at the Last Supper appears to have the purpose of enabling those who read it to understand the ultimate meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection. As we can see from Thomas' question, this understanding was not easy to achieve. Yet, Jesus plainly states at the outset, "I am the way, the truth and the life." This is revelation about Jesus' mission. He was sent by God to reveal the way to come to God. Not everyone will choose that way. Some will go that way without realizing it. For those who believe, however, Jesus is the revealed way. To the individualistic and consumeristic culture in which we live, this has a "take it or leave it quality." For the Christian, it has to be a "given" and not an "option." Those "rays of truth" that we discern in other religious families may indeed provide us with additional insight into the mission of Christ, but they do not provide an alternative. Jesus' statement is a direct revelation and we are asked to accept it if we wish to be Christians. AMEN