Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 284

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?

 Y ou have to break an egg if you want to make an omelet! So they say, and it's true on many dimensions. 

Today's first reading describes the shattering effect of the Gospel on Jewish expectations in the synagogue of Antioch. Whatever they were expecting of a Messiah -- and it's hard to say at this late date precisely how first century near-eastern Jews spoke of a messiah  -- it was not that the he should be executed by crucifixion, rise from the dead, or send disciples throughout the world to announce the incident. It seemed too ugly, too profane, and too unlikely to be true. Whoever heard of God raising anyone from the dead, much less of his dying, rising, and reappearing as the Son of God? 

But this was not the first incident of eggshells broken in the extraordinary story of Jesus. In today's gospel. Philip seems to think God should appear to his ordinary, human eyes and Jesus would make that happen. He is speaking devoutly, from his heart, and perhaps not thinking of an ordinary revelation. 

But his question shows how little he understands of what he has been taught. Jesus replies sharply to him, 

"Whoever has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, 'Show us the Father?"  

He has only to open his eyes to see God, but the eyes of his faith are blind.  

A scientific age which dismisses artistic expression and religious doctrine makes a similar demand upon our faith. They say, "Why can't we see what you see?" Deaf to the allusions of religious language, tone deaf to music or poetry, they respect only problem solving engineers who deal in the hard sciences of a material universe. Meaning, purpose, and beauty mean nothing; and Truth is found by physics and chemistry. The person they regard as an illusion, a mistaken reading of organic chemistry. The language which knows only science, technology, engineering, and math cannot fathom freedom or free will. 

The greatest temptation for Christians is to try to explain our faith in terms they can understand -- as if we understand it in the same terms. The eggshell of a scientific worldview must be broken. There is no doorway through that wall; it must be demolished. 

Fortunately, it's not hard to break egg shells, nor is it difficult to break false presumptions. Can STEM prove you love your spouse, children, and parents with standard scientific tests? You must speak metaphorically, using metaphors like magnetism, the bonding of wild geese, and eggs that produce chicks and omelets. To encourage medical and technological research, you will have to speak of hope for a healthier, more peaceful future. That vision only religion can offer.

Love, hope and purpose are religious expressions, meaningful only with the grounding of faith in God's promises. 

Can anyone see the face of God? They have only to look at Jesus. 

I was ordained to the priesthood on this fifty years ago. I thank God that he has kept me here. And I thank all those who have made so many sacrifices to help me remain here.