THE WORD
2 Mac 12: 43–46 / Rom 8: 31–35.37–39 / Jn 14: 1–6
Jesus said to his disciples, “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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Whenever we see a man of great knowledge, we easily say, “He is a walking dictionary.” But when we see a perfect man, we can say he is a just and holy man. This can only be applied to Jesus who is himself an embodiment of a man who is morally perfect. In him we see no malice or guile; he is a man who is holy and righteous through and through. Hence, when Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life,” then we have before us a perfect example of one who lives and breathes a morally perfect human life. Christ invites us to follow Him because that is the way to become a perfect human being.
According to an old legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand. Confucius saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that men should stay away from places such as this.” Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.” Then, Mohammed came by and said to the sinking man, “Alas, it is the will of God.” Finally, Jesus appeared. “Take My hand,” He said, “and I will save you.”
Christ not only taught but lived what He preached. There is no one who could guide us more perfectly than Jesus Himself. There is no reason why we could not be perfect. True it’s almost impossible to be perfect, but with Jesus it is possible. We should never be content with making excuses, such as that we are only human. Christ shows us the truth about what it is to be human and shows us how to live a human life; he guides us along the way of humanity. As G. Campbell Morgan succinctly puts it, “Man can be restored to God by Christ, can know God through Christ, and can become like God in Christ”. At the end of the day, we simply have to ask the question: “Have we become more like Christ?”
- Jojo Caballes, SVD (SHP, Kamuning, QC)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
