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“The Face of Jesus”
by Ariel Agemian, 1935 |
Readings for Friday of the
Fourth Week of Easter [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Acts 13:26-33
When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in
the synagogue:
"My brothers, children of the family of
Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders
failed to recognize him,
and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles
of the prophets
that are read sabbath after sabbath.
For even though they found no grounds for a
death sentence,
they asked Pilate to have him put to death,
and when they had accomplished all that was
written about him,
they took him down from the tree and placed him
in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to
Jerusalem.
These are now his witnesses before the people.
We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to
you
that what God promised our fathers
he has brought to fulfillment for us, their
children, by raising up Jesus,
as it is written in the second psalm,
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you."
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Commentary on Acts
13:26-33
In
this passage from Acts we find Paul on his first missionary journey to Asia. He
is speaking to a mixed crowd of Jews and Gentiles, explaining that Jesus came
to fulfill what was written in the Hebrew Scriptures. He concludes his
discourse with a quote from Psalm 2:7: "You
are my Son; this day I have begotten you." For the Jews this
proclamation by the psalmist would have seemed a natural continuation of the
understanding of the Hebrew people in salvation history, that the "chosen
people" should enjoy God's promised salvation (in the resurrection). For
the Gentiles the adoption by God, implicit in the quote, would have been seen
as an invitation.
CCC:
Acts 13:27-28 597; Acts 13:29 601; Acts 13:31 647; Acts 13:32-33 638; Acts 13:32 653; Acts 13:33 445, 2606
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab
R. (7bc) You are my Son; this day I
have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you."
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen
dish."
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before
him;
with trembling rejoice.
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps
2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab
Psalm
2 is a “royal psalm.” The proclamation of adoption is set in legal terms of the
day to establish the relationship between people and God. We hear in this
language the baptismal adoption we received, making us God’s children and
favored above all creation.
CCC:
Ps 2:6-7 745; Ps 2:7-8 2606; Ps 2:7 441, 653, 2836
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Gospel: John 14:1-6
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."
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Commentary on John
14:1-6
This
dialogue with the disciples is taking place at the Last Supper. Jesus has
already responded to Peter and now Thomas continues to question with: “Master,
we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” To which
Jesus responds with a phrase known to all Christians: “I am the way and
the truth and the life.” He ends with another phrase that has been used
throughout the history of Christianity, from an evangelical perspective as an
invitation, and negatively as a statement of exclusivity: “No one comes to
the Father except through me.”
"Thomas, the loyal but undiscerning disciple (cf. 11:16),
voices the incomprehension of the rest of the group. His question echoes that
of Peter in 13:36, and
reflects a complete failure to grasp the implications of vv 2–3. He seems to
want to know precisely where the Father’s house is located and where Jesus is
going to prepare a place for them (cf. Hort: 'In his eyes the journey must be
like one from land to land, or, as we might say, from planet to planet'; The
Way, the Truth and the Life, 15).
"The
disciple’s lack of understanding, as so often, provides opportunity for Jesus
to clarify the revelation. The saying is commonly recognized as ranking with 3:16 as an
outstanding expression of the Gospel. 'It forms a classical summary of the
Johannine doctrine of salvation that is based entirely on Jesus Christ'
(Schnackenburg, 3:65)." [4]
CCC:
Jn 14:1 151; Jn 14:2-3 2795; Jn 14:2 661; Jn 14:3 1025; Jn 14:6 74, 459, 1698, 2466, 2614
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Reflection:
For the past several days we have been very
focused on our faith in Jesus and how that faith leads us in life. Today we are
given a glimpse of the reward. John’s Gospel is so full of familiar phrases and
sayings. Today we find two:
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
“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
These two concepts are linked within this
Scripture. First, the heavenly reward for living a life of faith: the Lord goes
on before us to prepare a place for us. If we are faithful to what he has asked
of us, we are given a home. This Scripture is frequently used as our
consolation at wakes and funerals because of the great need for hope at these
times. We get it here today and are grateful because we who struggle with our
mortality need to be given this hope as well.
The second half of the second quote: “No one
comes to the Father except through me” is problematic for many Christians
and non-Christians alike. It tells us, if we look at it from the other
direction, that unless you accept Jesus as God and Savior, you cannot get to
the Father. That’s unambiguous. It also begs the “Gandhi Question” as it has
been called. (Thanks for that label, Nic.)
This one statement is frequently used by
biblical literalists to say that Jesus excludes any who do not, upon hearing of
the existence of Christ, convert to Christianity. They point to this as an
absolute doctrine of faith. (Ironically many in this same group also reject the
equally unambiguous statement: “My body is real food and my blood real drink”
(John 6:55) and say that is
somehow symbolic.)
Just as we disagree with some who believe that
the earth must have been created in six twenty-four hour days (because we
disagree about God’s time-sense) we also remember that God’s perspective about
time and ours are different when it comes to looking at eternal life.
All Christians believe that they will, in the
end, come before the judgment seat of Christ. He will look at our faith and
actions and decide if we are to come to him. As Catholics, our belief is more
complex. We believe that before we can take our place with the Father and his
Son, we must be washed clean of the earthly burden we take with us when our
mortal bodies perish. (Would we go before Christ in filthy rags?)
This cleansing takes place in a state (not
place) we call purgatory and thank God for it. In this state we have
time/space to recant our earthly sins and become once more justified, that is
just as if we had never sinned. With this in mind, the next statement should
feel right. As we understand Jesus, true God and true Man, the Only Begotten
Son of God who came into the world to save all mankind, he was perfect love and
forgiveness. We look at very good people who do not believe in him because of
geography or circumstance and say, Jesus would understand, Jesus would love,
Jesus would forgive and give another chance. As someone very dear to me has
said; “Gandhi may not have believed in Jesus, but Jesus believed in Gandhi.”
We, as Catholics, say each time we attend
Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but
only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”(Matthew 8:8) We receive
Christ and he receives us, not by some merit on our part, but because of his
great love for us. We cannot be perfect in this life, but we believe we will
see him, in his glory, face to face, when we are perfected in the new
resurrection.
Pax
[1]
The picture
used is “The Face of Jesus” by Ariel Agemian, 1935.[2]
S.S.
Commemoratio[3]
The
readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.[4]
George R. Beasley-Murray, John, vol. 36, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas:
Word, Incorporated, 1999), 252.
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