5th Sunday of Easter
Of course with all the strange events and things happenings around us, we can say that we live in a troubled and crazy world. We can also see that things are getting crazier, weirder, strange and more difficult everyday. This craziness, weirdness, and strangeness that we see in our world today is nothing new because it has been in existence since time immemorial even during the time of Jesus. Jesus knew that along the line, his disciples will face such craziness and strangeness in the world, that was why He prepared them, letting them know what to do in those times as they face such realities. He prepared them for such things with these words from our gospel reading today, from the gospel of Saint John 14:1-12 that says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me, ... I am the way and the truth and the life." With these words, Jesus did not give His disciples an answer to the situation, but prepared them for those situations by encouraging them, and reminding them that they will have to work harder to overcome these challenges in their spiritual lives by deepening their faith in Him; by following His examples and lifestyle like He followed that of His Father; and by doing great and marvelous works like He did.
How do we deepen our faith in God in these times? We can do so by totally trusting in Him in these troubling times. Trust means firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something, hence, it means for us Christians to have a firm belief in God at all times and in every situation. This is very important because often times, we think we have all the answers and solutions. We want to play the role of God our Creator instead of being His creatures. But by totally trusting in God, we let go and let God be in control and be in charge of our lives, that is why Jesus told us not to be troubled, but to trust in God and in Him.
How can we follow Jesus’s examples and lifestyle like He followed that of His Father in a strange world like ours? We can do so by knowing and learning more about Him, that is by accepting and following His teachings which has the fullness of life in it. By knowing and following Christ, we remind ourselves once again how special we are as God’s children, as ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that we can announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light’ as Saint Peter re-emphasizes to us in our second reading today from the first letter of Saint Peter Pt 2:4-9.
How can we do great and marvelous works like Jesus did? We can do great and marvelous works like Jesus did by praising the good deeds we do and see done by others in our world today. Like by speaking out against the ills perpetuated in our society and world today; by creating an awareness on how we can correct the wrongs in our world and society, and lastly by tackling the problems of our times head on. My dear friends, do not forget the words of Jesus to us in today’s gospel reading that states, "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these."
So let us go out and tell the world that Jesus Christ our risen Lord, is truly the Way, the Truth and the Life. Though our hearts might be heavy and troubled in these dark times because of the challenges we face in our world today, but let us still have faith, hope and trust in God. God has not given up on us, so we cannot give up on ourselves. Hence, it is time to come closer to God by deepening our faith in Him; by following Jesus’s examples and lifestyle like He followed that of His Father; and by doing great and marvelous works like Jesus did.
