Word to the Wise
Friday, May 1, 2015 - 4th Week of Easter - Fri
[Acts 13:26-33 and John 14:1-6]"Where I am going you know the way." Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." [John]
These words are spoken as part of the Last Supper dialogue and discourse in the Gospel of John, and are very familiar. They display the typical exchange between Jesus and another person. A statement is made which is misunderstood and then Jesus clarifies with an "Amen, amen, I say to you" or an "I AM!" statement (sometimes both). Here Thomas obviously thinks Jesus is talking about geography when Jesus uses the term "way." Jesus clarifies by using a different meaning of "way," or at least a broader one that is not geographic except in a virtual sense. Jesus is the "way and the truth and the life." The "place" that he is going to prepare for them is not a physical place but a relationship which the Spirit will enable.
It is important to avoid here the unfortunate dogmatic and exclusive conclusion drawn by many that anyone who is NOT an explicit believer in Jesus Christ is condemned and will not have eternal life. Our Catholic tradition does not teach that. For a more complete picture, one should read the Vatican Council documents with regard to our relationship with Jews and other religious traditions. God's plan of salvation involves becoming flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, but not everyone will come to know this completely. We have to leave them to God's mercy and continue to profess our faith in Jesus and live it. Those who think of Christianity as a kind of club and everyone else as lost will have a great surprise awaiting them. AMEN
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