5th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Time and again we experience fears, worries, and anxieties. Since our faith is weak and we focus on our problems instead of God, the Holy Bible, many, many times, advises us not to worry. When God created man and woman, living forever was perfect and beautiful. Man was meant to have a family without the fear of sickness and disease. We know the story of how man disobeys God and sin comes to be. In that very moment, Man went another way, to go to another place rather than to God. Everything was turned upside down.
Now we face death, we face pain, we face loss, and we have to struggle every day to make a living and keep our lives going. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way, to walk away from God, but I have good news today. For those of you ready to come back to the Lord, there is a way. God has made a way for restoration, He has made a way for renewal, and His name is Jesus. Jesus is the way, the life, and the truth.
Our Lord Jesus is ready to open up our minds to receive the way, life, and truth. He is ready to bring us into a new life as the new creations that he has intended for each of us. How do we come back to the life that God has intended for each of us? The answer is found in today’s Gospel. Jesus was speaking to His disciples about a place He was going to prepare for them, where we are going to dwell with Jesus forever and live with God.
Jesus is the way because he is the only begotten Son of God. He is the safest and surest Way to God because he came from God and he can lead us to his heavenly Father. While he was still on earth, Jesus spoke much about his Father. He talked about his union with the Father, the goodness and compassion of the Father. He gathered the people, and he even ate with sinners with the aim to bring them back to the Father. Jesus’ sure Way to God is the narrow way of the cross. It is the least–traveled way to humble, loving, self–giving, and committed service to others, through which we can reach the Father.
Jesus is the truth. The words of Jesus are true, and this truth sets us free. Jesus is the truth because he is the only one who reveals to us the whole truth about God. He teaches us that God is a loving, merciful, providing, and forgiving Father.
Jesus is the life because he has Eternal life in himself. He is the one who gives us his life–giving Holy Spirit. In the Creed, we profess that we believe in life everlasting. This belief has its connection to our faith in Jesus who is life. If we chose life, then we need to remain in Jesus.
Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life has something to do with our day-to-day life. Just as Jesus is the way, we may also be the way or instrument for others to go to God. At the same time, we should also be bearers of truth and promoters of life.
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