THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

HOMILY FOR THE 5^TH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Rev. Fr. Peter Onyekachi Ezekoka

Acts 6:1-7        1Peter 2: 4-9        John 14:1-12

Imagine you are in a situation where you have lost something and you are searching for it everywhere. Is there anything worse than that moment when you realize that you have lost something that really matters to you, something essential like your wallet, your bank card, your passport, your phone, or a gift of sentimental value from a loved one? Time and again you check through your pockets, bags, drawers and places where you last saw it, hoping and praying that what you’ve lost will somehow magically reappear. How relieved you’d feel if someone offered to give up their time to help you search!

Now, imagine yourself in another situation: you are walking along a lonely road and you are trying to find your way to a particular place. But there’s no satellite navigation or GPS to guide you, and the more you walk, the more you realise that you’ve got lost. You’re disorientated, but you keep on walking in the hope of finding someone who will point you in the right direction. How comforting it is when you finally spot someone who can help you!

These imaginary scenarios, both about how upsetting it is to be searching and searching for something and longing for someone to help us, can help us to appreciate the tone of our reflection today.

The hearts of the disciples of Jesus were troubled. The disciples were upset. They had very good reason to be troubled. The predictions of events actually about to happen to them would have upset anybody: the Lord was about to be deserted and betrayed (cf. John 13:18-30), the Lord was not going to be with them any more (cf. John 13:33), and Peter was going to deny Jesus three times (cf. John 13:38). The disciples were distressed at the prospect of losing their Master, whom they had believed would be the long-awaited political Messiah, and their hearts were greatly troubled, as would ours have been in that situation. What the disciples needed was peace and a sense of hope, purpose and direction to embrace. ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled’, Jesus encouraged them, meaning that through His death and resurrection, the greatest possible deliverance for all troubled hearts would be accomplished. This same deliverance is only possible for us when we hold to holy faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord, when we cling to blessed hope that our eternal dwelling-place will be with Him in heaven, and when we place our complete trust in the promises of Christ with whom we live now and in eternity. The reaction of Thomas indicated that the disciples hadn’t a clue about where Jesus was going: we do not know where you are going? How can we know the way? Jesus gave him and us the most marvellous reply: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Christianity has been referred to since its earliest times as ‘The Way’. Only when we believe in the guidance of Christ our Lord will our troubled hearts be calmed and our feelings of disorientation be eliminated. Why? Because the right way that each and every one of us is searching for will have been found. Jesus revealed to His agitated disciples that the only way to peace of heart and true freedom was to embrace the spiritual freedom in Him, the Christ, who was sent by the Father.

There’s a difference between pointing the way to a particular place and actually taking someone by the hand and leading them there, isn’t there? The person who guides someone literally becomes the way himself. To go back to our imaginary scenario of going along a lonely road when you’re trying to get to a specific destination but you’re feeling lost: would you rather meet someone who tells you how to get there, waves vaguely in the direction you should head, and leaves you to stumble on alone, or would you rather meet someone who says ‘come with me’ and actually takes you there? Jesus Christ not only tells you how to walk through life and how to reach God, but He also personally shows you the right way by going with you. Our Lord never abandons you in the darkness, leaving you stumbling around as you try to feel your way forward. He Himself IS the Way.

There’s also a difference between telling someone about the truth and actually living out the truth as an example to them. The One who lives out the truth is the Truth Himself, Jesus Christ. Christ is the Embodiment, the Communicator and the Liberator of the Truth. Our Lord never abandons you in the darkness, leaving you searching and grasping vainly for the truth. Why not? Because He Himself IS the truth.

There is a further difference between telling someone else how to get the most out of life and actually living life yourself in all its fullness. The One who was, who is and who lives forever, is the One who was in the beginning, who created life from nothing, and who possesses life itself. Our Lord never abandons you in the darkness, leaving you wandering aimlessly, without hope of ever finding the meaning of life; Jesus Himself IS the Life.

Think back to our original scenario of you searching for something essential that you’d lost. In the First Reading from Acts, the apostles were searching for a way to hold on to something essential which they were on the point of losing. The ‘something essential’ was virtue … the specific virtues of equity, justice and peace. The number of converts to Christ was increasing, and the challenges were increasing correspondingly. A quarrel broke out between the Greek-speaking disciples and the Hebrew-speaking disciples because it was alleged that the Greek-speaking widows were being deliberately left out of the daily distribution of goods held in common. With the help of the lay people and the prayers of the apostles, deacons (men filled with the Spirit and with wisdom) were commissioned, and peace and equity were restored. We can take from this that when Jesus is with us, solutions to our problems are forthcoming. How important it is too to invite the help of others when problems arise, whether these problems be personal or communal, to find satisfactory resolutions and ways forward.

And finally, … in the selection of the seven deacons, we see the privilege of the sacred office being extended to the Gentiles in the early Church. The words once directed exclusively to the people of Israel, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”(1 Pet 2:9) are directed inclusively to the people of God in every nation. By virtue of our Baptism, each and every Christian today should shoulder royal priestly responsibilities including prayer and catechesis, forgiveness and reconciliation. May we develop the virtues of patience and prudence in order continually to fulfil our Baptismal vows by following our Lord who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen. God bless you.