You Know the Way

At the Last Supper, on the eve of his suffering and death, Jesus explained to his Apostles the meaning and purpose of the deep Mystery He was about to accomplish, as recorded in St John's Gospel, chapter 14:1-7.

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself: that where I am, you also may be. 4 And whither I go you know: and the way you know. 5 Thomas said to him: Lord, we know not whither you go. And how can we know the way? 6 Jesus said to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me.

Jesus "goes to the Father to prepare a place for" us. His "going" is His suffering and death, His resurrection and ascension. Having opened the way to Heaven by His attoning death, He is now seated at the Father's right hand preparing a place for us, and promises to return to bring us to our eternal dwelling place.

Yet at the same time he directs that we "know the way." When Thomas (ever doubtful, yet in his doubt always asking the right questions) says, "And how can we know the way?" Jesus answers:

I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

He further adds that no one comes to the Father except through him, and later in the same chapter promises the "Spirit of Truth" who will assist us and lead us.

Far from easy believism, this is a great challenge for the one who claims to be a Christian, for Jesus not only indicates that he prepares a place for us, but that we must also be prepared for the place. Christ is the Way to the Father, that is: He is the narrow way and difficult path that leads to life and how few there are who find him (see Matthew 7:13-14), even among those dubbed Christian. His way is the Way of the Cross which a person must take up if he is to be Christ's follower (see Luke 9:23). He is the Truth that we must know in the biblical sense of knowledge, not simply an intellectual knowledge, but an intimate, experiential knowledge; that is our lives must be remade into conformity with His Truth. He is the Life which we must begin to live out here and now as "other christs in The Christ" and He is the Eternal Life (1 John 1: 1-2) which we begin to experience now in an obscure way and shall experience fully in the world to come.

If we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments (John 14: 15). If we love Jesus, we will render to him the "obedience of faith." We will not profess him with our lips only, as if saying His Name were enough to save us. We will do whatever he tells us to do (John 2:5) that His name may be glorified in us (Matthew 5:16; 1Peter 2:12).

Amen.