Responsorial Psalm
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
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.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
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."
Reflection
In the few weeks between Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, Our Lord is still teaching His apostles basic truths about Himself, even after all He has done and all the time He has had with them already. While we might be surprised that Thomas and Philip could still need such instruction, we too will often lose sight of who Jesus is, despite being His faithful followers.
We can relate to Thomas’s question: “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Sometimes, God’s plan can feel elusive. The future is obscure and the path forward unclear. Yet, Jesus’ response is simple. “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Jesus is the key to knowing the Father and getting to Heaven.
This response, familiar as it is, can strike us as vague. How is Jesus the way? Philip similarly seems to desire clarity. He wants to see the Father for himself. How many of us might also ask Our Lord to show us just one thing—perhaps our future spouse or our next assignment— “and that will be enough for us”? We see ourselves as limited, unable to embrace the Father’s plan until we have the answers we think we need. Jesus knows better. He knows that the only clarity we need is of who He is. “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me…” Jesus calls us to trust that He is God, and that all He has done is to bring us to Himself.
The Responsorial Psalm is an apt response to this Gospel message. “Lord, let Your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in You.” When we throw ourselves upon the mercy of Jesus, trusting Him, we can be assured that He will bring us to the Heavenly dwelling place that He has prepared for us. We might wrestle with the unknown, but if, by God’s grace, we have faith in Jesus Christ and live that faith well, we know that God will accomplish great works in us.
So, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Let us strive to have faith in Jesus, relying fully on Him as our way, truth, and life.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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