Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
May 22, 2011
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Reading 1
Acts 6:1-7
As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
There were two groups of believers – the Hebrew speakers and the Greek speakers. The latter had come from the Diaspora. Peter decides that the Greek speakers, the Hellenists, should have their own leaders to conduct their affairs. These seven are more leaders than deacons in the way we use the word today. All leadership in the church is a ministry. There are to be no lords and people of power but only servants. The Hellenists will be the ones who carry out the first missionary wave brining the Gospel to the gentiles.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Reading 2
Beloved:
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it says in Scripture:
Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.
Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone, and
A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it says in Scripture:
Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.
Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone, and
A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.
You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises” of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises” of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
This is figurative language trying to describe how believers are in Christ and Christ is in them. We are one with him and thereby share in his one great act of praise of his Father by which the world is saved. Being part of Christ we are called to the holiness of Christ. As Christ is the image of the Father so the believer should be the image of Jesus (Gospel)
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
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.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
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’?
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.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
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.”
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
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.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
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’?
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.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
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.”
You have a home you haven’t seen
It is the love that welcomes us that makes a home and we all need one. That is where we belong, where we can relax and be our selves. Life is a journey to our home. God has manifested himself in the man from Nazareth. Jesus is God living among us. ‘I and the Father are one’ he said and in today’s Gospel he says, ‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father’. The God of the Universe is humble. One of us, a man, he invites us to trust in him and become his friend. It is unbelievable but true. We are given this life here as the time to choose him by word and deed. He will take his friends to his home and as members of the family – the family of God – they will live forever. He wants his friends to be where he is.
Jesus is the way to the home of God because it is our friendship, our relationship, with him, which is heaven. Friendship with Jesus is the way to God. He is a man and through him we go to the Father who is pure Spirit. The Father and Jesus are one God. By being one with Jesus now, we are already with God but in the darkness of faith.
Jesus tells his disciples this but they are bewildered as is revealed by the questions of Thomas and then of Philip. May be you feel bewildered too. Jesus and his Father are one in the Holy Spirit who is the Love between them. The Holy Spirit knows the depths of God and he comes to us. He will reveal everything about God to us. Understanding is not so important. Loving Jesus in faith is crucial.
The Father lives in Jesus and Jesus lives in us. Jesus is now with his Father and equal in every way with Him and he is in us. It is Jesus who works through us and so Jesus has promised that we will do the same works as he did. When we hear this we often think of miracles but the greatest miracle we can perform for people is to love them with a love that is sincere and comes from our heart. May we allow Jesus to love people through us. This more than any sensational miracle will touch the hearts of men and women who haven’t yet known Jesus.
Do you see Jesus as a real person who invites you to look for him in faith? How do you respond in faith to his call for friendship? Do you experience Jesus in you when you deal with others? Does he love others through you?
Father give me the grace to search for Jesus, because he who searches will always find.
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