"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where (I) am going you know the way." Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "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? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father."
Introductory Prayer: My Lord and God, Jesus Christ, you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You teach me by your example of obedience to your heavenly Father. You have my trust and my faith because of your love. Through this time of prayer I wish to know you more, so as to know more the Father's love for me.
Petition: Show me the Way, teach me the Truth, and grant me Life so that I might live as you did and be an example that enlightens others.
1. Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. What is prayer? What is confidence in God? "For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." St Teresa of the Child Jesus summarizes her attitude in this way, as recorded for everyone's benefit in the Universal Catechism, 2558.
At the Last Supper, Jesus tells his apostles not to let their hearts be troubled. They need to look to heaven; they need to realize his love for them. The fear of impending trials threatens to overshadow the joy they share in Jesus' company. The difficulty of persevering faithfully in their mission tends to distance the God of their minds from his Real Presence beside them.
Jesus teaches me however, to recognize him. He is beside me as a friend. God befriends me. Jesus is the visible face of the invisible God. God is love. I only need a little bit of faith to find peace. He gives me the answer to my prayer. He is like Bread come down from heaven (John 6:45-51).
2. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Where must I go to find the face of God? I might be like the apostles who have a distant conception of God and get lost in dark and heavy thoughts. Yet he wants to feed me. Where can I hear the loving promise of God's friendship?
"The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place "to which I withdraw." The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant." (CCC 2563).
My heart is called to imitate Christ's heart in communion. Jesus, meek and humble of heart make my heart like yours! You call me in the depth of my heart as more than a friend, rather as the Brother who leads me to the Father. Who else can teach me the ways of God? Let me believe in you.
3. Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these. "Faith bears its fruit in love: it means keeping the word and the commandments of Jesus, it means abiding with him in the Father who, in him, so loves us that he abides with us. In this new covenant the certitude that our petitions will be heard is founded on the prayer of Jesus." (CCC 2614)
Jesus has shown himself to me; he has shown me the Way, the Truth and the Life. This is a grace. I can believe if I am willing to respond with love. His promise is true. Grace perfects nature. I can respond to his invitation, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt 5:48)
Or as St James would summarize: "Indeed someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works." (James 2:17-18) Or as the Holy Father invited us at one World Youth Day, "You are the light of the world ... just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:14.16) Let my life nourish others.
Conversation: Lord Jesus, let my heart rest in you. Let me reflect your love just as your face reflects the loving countenance of the Father. Let my soul be nourished by your Real Presence in the Eucharist so that I might gain eternal life. Let me be a luminous example for others through a life of love.
Questionnaire:
1. Do I treat God like a distant, abstract thought or as close friend? Have I truly contemplated what it means that God sent his only Son into the world to live among us? (1 John 4:9; John 1:14) Does my faith fill me with peace?
2. How alive is my belief that Christ is really present to me in the Eucharist? How do I prepare to receive Holy Communion, how often do I visit and adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament?
3. What evidence is there in my life to prove that my faith is alive? Could others call me "Christian" from my lifestyle? Do my actions reflect God's love for me in Christ? What do I teach others by how I live?
