MY daily reflection and prayer:
Tuesday , May 3, 2016
Sixth Week of Easter
Feast of St. Philip And St Jacob, The Apostles
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. John 14:6-14
Jesus said to him, “I am the way , and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father , but by me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth 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, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? 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 in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
YESTERDAY, I visited the Sanjaya tomb complex at Muntilan. I was interested to read the Latin language written on the wall of Pater Jan Wietjen’s tomb as follows, “Ipse finis erit desideriorum nostrorum, sine fine videbitur, sine fastidio amabitur, sine fatigatione laudabitur…” There is Javanese tranlation as follows, “Gusti wekasing esthi, tanpa tuwang sinawang, tanpa tuwuk tinresnan, tanpa kemba pinuja”.
Surely, it’s about God. We can say this quotation in English, “God will be the end of all our desires, he who will be seen without end, loved without weariness, praised without fatigue.” It’s coming from St. Augustine in his “De Civitate Dei (The City of God) XXII, 30.
This quotaion echoes in my heart when I meditate today’s Gospel. We can learn from Philip’s longing faith. He longs for seeing God the Father. So he asks Jesus Christ saying, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.”
Show us the Father. It is also our need. As Jesus Christ helped Philip to see the Father, so he helps us as well to see the Father for he is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by Jesus Christ. Why? It is because that only Jesus Christ teaches us to call and trust in God our Father.
So seeing is believing to God as our Father. So he says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” This is our faith. God is made visible in the person of Jesus Christ. “Jesus Christ is the face of God’s mercy,” says Pope Francis in his “Misericordiae Vultus” no. 1.
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist, while worshipping Jesus Christ we also see God the Father face to face. We do not only adore Jesus Christ but also adore God our Father. There Jesus Christ fills our longing for seeing God the Father lovingly and perfectly.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you say that whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Thank you for granting us special moment to see you and God the Father face to face through Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist. Help us to spend our time making you happy, pleasing you with our adoration and merciful action now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)