“Whoever believes in me believes not only in me
but also in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
I came into the world as light,
so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
With these words from Saint John's Gospel Jesus describes not only his mission, but the mission of every disciple.
I discovered this as a chaplain in the VA hospital, where I served from 2007 to 2022. There had been dreadful stories about priests in the news media for over five years, and people asked me about them. But invariably I was greeted with reverence and respect by patients, their families, and the hospital personnel. Most of them had known a priest and their affection for him was immediately transferred to me. I had only to introduce my name. They knew what I represented. I am a sacrament.
We believe in Jesus because we know the man. We have lived with him; we have listened to his words; we have often been relieved of our troubles, whether they were disturbed hearts, conflicted conscience, or bodily ills. We know the voice of the Good Shepherd.
And knowing him, we know where he comes from and who sent him. We know his Father is compassionate and merciful and just; and we trust the Father of Jesus because he trusted his Father even as he died on a cross.
In the same way, people who believe in us believe not only in us but also in the One who sent us. And its corollary follows: those whom we betray believe they have been betrayed by God.
Like Jesus, we must have, and be known for, integrity. That is, "I am what I pretend to be." As a Franciscan and a priest, I have that obligation to myself, to my Church, and to our God. But I cannot be what anyone thinks I should be. That would be the worse pretense, for I know already that I am a sinful man. To pretend otherwise would be a sham, and easily recognized; that's called hypocrisy. And so I "own" my sins, frailty, cultural blindness, and ignorance without excuse or phony remorse; as I pray that I cause no one to sin.
Saint Paul said of Jesus, he cannot deny himself. As the Son of God, commissioned to represent the mercy and justice of God, to serve rather than be served, he must refuse to turn stones into bread and to jump off the highest parapet of the temple. He literally could not do it, not because he was not God -- which he was! -- but because he was obedient. And as the image of God, he must surrender to God because God has surrendered everything to him.
And so we are called to discover who we are, and who we must be in God's sight. We are called to integrity, to being what we pretend to be.
Whoever believes in me believes not only in me
but also in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.