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Cali (Colombia), Sr. Ofelia Vargas González, May 7, 2023- "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

PRAYER

In the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit we are here, to praise and to thank, to bless and to adore we are here, Triune God of love.

GOSPEL

John 14:1-12. 

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many mansions. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go and prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "I have been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? He who 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 say to you I do not say on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, believe me for the works themselves. Truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and indeed will do greater works than these, because I go to the Father.

STUDY OF THE TEXT

From all that happened at the end of the Last Supper, from the different announcements of the passion (Mark 8:31; 9:30-32; 10:32-34), let us notice what Jesus does after this and how the attitude of the disciples shows that they have not understood anything... (Mk. 9:32); the hasty departure of Judas (Mk. 14:10); the announcement that Peter would deny him (Mk. 14:30); the words of Jesus speaking of his next departure, have left everyone bewildered. What is going to happen to them?

Jesus understands their uneasiness and tries to encourage them: "Do not let your hearts be troubled... Jesus says to them: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the Way because He reveals the Father (Jn. 12:45), He shows us the way to the Father, He Himself is the only access to the Father (Jn. 14:4-7), since He is the Truth and the Life. Jesus is the Word, He is the Word and the Word is God because He comes from the mouth of the Father (Jn.14,10).

MEDITATION

Jesus says to them: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. A confession for all: followers and persecutors of Jesus, for those who have not found the way, because they have not sought, or because alone they have had no one to guide them and thus discover in Jesus, the only way out to grow, to be formed, to live in Him, to know His Truth and receive Life, to have life by the transformation that we experience when walking with Him, to empathize with Him and commit ourselves to His Project: Life in abundance for all.

He is the Truth: it means that we have union with God the Father and therefore Eternal Life through Jesus: "This is Eternal Life" (Jn.17:3), "that they may know You, the only true God and the one You have sent, Jesus Christ". To the extent that we know the Father and the Son, we are making Eternal Life.

I am the Life. He is the life, means that we have union with God the Father and the Spirit and therefore true Life if we believe and live what we believe. He is the source of Life. We must believe in Him and believe Him.

PRAYER

What do we say to the Lord inspired by his Word? Lord God of Life and History, thank you because you give us the assurance that you walk with us, because you are the Truth and the Life that we discover day by day, in your Word and in reality, and because you encourage us to live as daughters and sons, sisters and brothers, building your Kingdom in love. Amen.

COMMITMENT - ACTION

Jesus invites the community of his disciples to overcome fear, not to be intimidated by everything that produces despair, death, pessimism, sadness; it is the works that make possible the Project of the Father, the Kingdom; through the dignification of the whole person. The community of Jesus' followers is the depository of the Common Good. The Kingdom is the sum of all goods... where the good is, there is the Reign of God.

God raises and resurrects Jesus, reminding us that in Him life is always reborn and renewed. The resurrected life must be continued, until we make this world a place where we all fit, a house where we can find shelter, where we can find refuge and food to feed ourselves... The quality of life is manifested in compassion, in uncontainable stubbornness for solidarity and mercy in action, as Jesus himself expresses it to us: "Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do and will do them even greater, because I am going to the Father" (Jn. 14:12).

Let us recognize the concrete commitment in our ecclesial communities that have given true well-being, fraternity, capacity in the heart to share, quality of life to many people or families and are dignifying life in all its forms.

OTHER PATHS FOR REFLECTION

• What community situations require bold solutions to make visible the Risen Jesus, Way, Truth and Life?

• What does Jesus mean when he says: "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and will do them even greater?"