Gospel, John (14:7-14)
Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John
Jesus the Way to the Father
7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 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 speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
The Gospel of the Lord
REFLECTION
The Apostle Philip yearns to see the glory of God: “Lord, show us the Father and this is enough for us.” (vs. 8) The request has a precise answer: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (vs. 9) God, the Father can be seen only and insofar as the story of Jesus is accepted, which must be understood and shared.
Seeing Jesus, John tells us in the Gospel means also to listen to his Word and to recognize the Word of the Father in his Word (John 14, 10). Only and only in Jesus can one experience and know the Father. The words of the Son are those of the Father. How to prove it? How to demonstrate it? There is no other argument that dispels faith.
It is true: the words of Jesus have in themselves a force of conviction, but not to the point of forcing the interlocutor to believe. It is in the flesh, in Jesus’s story, that it is necessary to understand the transcendence of the Father. The answer given to Philip is clear: The only glimpse of God allowed the Apostles is none other than that type of “seeing” that consists of glancing at the historical presence of Jesus who reflects the face of the Father.
Faith allows the Father to carry on, through us, the work of grace that began in his Son:
“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14, 12).
Let us allow ourselves to be carried away by Trust and give everything that we are and do to this Father, who is always waiting for us.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, send the Holy Spirit upon us and grant us the knowledge and desire to cooperate, in as much as is possible, so that we may become temples of the same Spirit.