John 14:6-14 ..so that the Father may be glorified..

There is something really beautiful in everything that Christ does, and that is that he continuously tells us, it is not for him or his sake that he asks us to do things, but for our Father in Heaven.  Jesus is so willing to give completely of himself.  It reminds me of when he told the Apostles that, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down his life for his friends." (Jn 1513)  Jesus lets us know that his words and works are from the Father.  This is how he is in the Father and the Father in him.  Thus they become one. 

"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father."

Jesus promised to send the Advocate and with the help of this Holy Spirit send by the Father in Christ Jesus' name, we will have great power to do His will.   It is an incredible amazing thing.  Hard to be true, yet it is.  How does it relate to our own life?

A brother who has sought God in nearly every religion throughout his life looks at my faith and asks, how can you believe?  Why can't I quite turn the question around and ask, why don't you believe? In today's reading Philip asks Jesus to explicitly show everyone the Father as proof.  Thomas the Apstle is with them.  Philip and Thomas portray those doubts and uncertainties we all have.  This is why Jesus has already challenged Thomas to put his fingers into the wound marks.  Now he explains explicity how he and the Father are one, how what he does glorifies the Father, and how we are to be united with him in following him in his works to also glorify the Father: to give our whole selves to God.  Christ died for our sins, that he could raise us up with himself for the honor and glory of God.  Alleluia!

Mark 16:9-15 Go out into all the world

The mission of the Holy Catholic Church takes itself directly from Christ Jesus.  He always gathered to him those who needed healing, those who responded to his call, he taught them, then sent them out to others to share the Good News.  The first reading is from Acts of the Apostles: "Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus."  The Apostles and others were just like the vast majority of us.  Yet, they were called to their respective vocations, ministries, and missions that Christ assigned to them, just like we are. 

The others called to accompany Christ Jesus through his ministry were not just the Apostles, but the other disciples chosen to bear witness to the Kingdom, Christ's death, and Resurrection.  The Gospel tells us about Mary Magdalene, "...he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons."  He healed her and saved her.  How many of us have demons, real, imaginary, and those caused by mental trauma or disease, that plague us and hold us back.  Yet she was called just as we are.  What about the two on the road to Emmaus to whom he appeared in a different form?  They were just average guys trying to get on with their lives.  Yet, they too were summoned to bear witness to the Glory of the Resurrected Lord.  And yet these witnesses "returned and told the others; but they (the Apostles) did not believe them either."

Sometimes we are called to do things that we know are right, even though it is difficult, even though others will laugh at us and won't believe.  Doing what is right is sometimes very tough.  Yet in the end we will be judged not by others, but by Christ.  We will be vindicated for our righteousness and living in the Truth by him for we read in the Gospel, "the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them
and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised."  These first witnesses of the Resurrection were vindicated by God.  We are to all go forth and proclaim the Good News!  Alleluia!