Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 295

I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

I heard the great scripture scholar, Father Raymond Brown, joke that, when he enters heaven, he will ask Saint John, “Why 153 fish?” I suppose we all have questions stored away for that great occasion when we enter eternity; many of them will be far weightier than Father Brown’s. Why do the innocent suffer? Why are evildoers not punished? Why weren’t my prayers answered? Where were you when I needed you?

Creating questions is part of our human nature. It is insatiable and demanding; it is godlike and holy. We want to know; our minds are created to ask questions and to seek answers. Even when the questions seem to lead nowhere they demand satisfaction.

Some philosophers compare our curiosity to the sexual drive; they are essentially the same. When the Virgin Mary asks the Angel Gabriel, “How can this be, since I do not know man?” her curiosity is linked to her sexuality. 

Our curiosity is another facet of our erotic nature. We want to know;  there is no end of our seeking. Created in God’s image we cannot be satisfied until we know good, evil and eternal life.

“What do you want?” Jesus asks of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar. “What are you looking for?” he asks the disciples of John the Baptist. Clearly, the Savior honors our questions. He will not leave us dissatisfied. “Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

I think of the old song Give me Jesus. (#681, Breaking Bread 2014)

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Give me Jesus.