In today’s Gospel, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Jesus speaks with two disciples, Thomas and Philip. He addresses them with these profound words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Surely Jesus saw them deeply disturbed by the things the world offers; yet he tells them, “Believe in God and believe also in me.” To believe means to be convinced that we know and follow Jesus, and that he wants us to share life with him, not only on earth but also in eternal life. Therefore, he tells his disciples that he had to go ahead, because it was necessary to prepare the place that belongs to each one. Today we are the disciples of Jesus, and he also wants us to be with him.
It is striking that the disciples were with Jesus, yet they did not fully know the way or the Father. That is why both reacted with words that are human and logical. Thomas says, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Philip says, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answers their concerns, perhaps disappointed that after so much time with him they still did not know him. Yet that did not matter to him; he responds promptly and presents himself as the way, the truth, and the life. Whoever knows him comes to know the Father.
Now the question is: do we truly know the true way? Are we sure where we are going? Are we convinced of our journey with Jesus? Perhaps we do not have an immediate answer. Sometimes we want to ask again like Thomas and Philip in order to feel more certain. When we feel alone, abandoned, or empty inside, we fill ourselves with material things that may satisfy and cheer us, but only temporarily. What Jesus offers, instead, is for a lifetime. Therefore, he tells us not to be troubled by things that fill us only for a moment, but to seek the way and move forward in believing in him as the only one who can fulfill our deepest desires.
More than once you may have set a goal and, although you want to begin, advance, or understand, you realize that you never truly carry it out. That is precisely what happened to the disciples: they were with the Master, but they still needed to go deeper into his life and mission. The same happens to us today. We think that being with the Lord is enough, but in reality it is not. We still need to know, understand, and believe that he truly is the way, because he is in the Father, and everything the Son does is what the Father has taught him. How difficult it is to understand and believe, even after a beautiful encounter with him, if we do not open our hearts. It is time to open ourselves so that his word may become life within us and we may transform it into works.
Sr. Silvia Josefina Saquic Alva
Province of Saint Martin de Porres
