From its earliest days the Church has had its share of scandals. The passage from Acts touches on the first one with its account of Greek widows being slighted. The apostles addressed the issue by ordaining seven men as deacons to serve the faith community. As demonstrated by Pope Benedict on his visit to America, the Church still struggles with scandals today.
Many Catholics, laity and clergy alike, remain troubled, angered, and disturbed by the misconduct years ago of some priests and religious. Such conduct should not surprise us for no one in ministry is immune to the temptations of sin. Regrettably, some of my brother priests failed to live up to what we can rightly expect of anyone in ministry: living chaste and celibate lifestyles as a reflection that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.
Long before the clergy scandal surfaced in Boston, rocking the Church around the world, our local Church became aware of the tragedy of child sexual abuse. Twenty years ago, when three of our priests were removed from ministry, one was even sent to prison for what he had done. Since then, the Archdiocese of Seattle has endeavored to deal with those whose hearts were troubled by such pain and wrongdoing. As some of us know personally from what our parish has experienced, there is always room for improvement on their part not only in addressing the wounds left behind but also in calling anyone in ministry to a greater accountability. For this reason, we are hosting a “safe environment” workshop this afternoon for the staff and those who work with either children or vulnerable adults.
The essence of today’s gospel is this: we need direction in our lives, direction that only Jesus can provide. The church, both laity and clergy alike, is comprised of fragile, sometimes sinful men and women, with God-given free wills to plot and do evil. Sometimes they sin out of malice, and other times, out of loneliness, desire or weakness. After all, the same devil that tempted Judas to betray Jesus will keep working until the end of time, taking advantage of those who have no clear direction of how to find God in their lives.
Without directions to guide us, we can easily get lost in this maze called life. When we get lost on a trip, some of us are wise enough to ask for help. Thomas asked Jesus the question that we find ourselves asking over and over again as we venture through life. “How can we know the way?” Indeed, how can we know which way to go when our hearts are troubled or a difficult choice has to be made?
In reply, Jesus told Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Having come from God, his Father, he knows the way. “No one,” Jesus points out, “comes to the Father except through me.” That may sound rather presumptuous, but what Jesus is saying makes sense. God as Father is encountered only through his son, Jesus Christ, for without the son; we cannot meet the Father. Jesus makes us aware of a relationship of unconditional love that cannot be found in any other depiction of God.
Not surprisingly, not everyone agrees with Jesus. Most people want to find God but some venture through life, following their own directions, or directions given them by others, but not those given by Jesus. In the gospels, we find numerous examples of people who wouldn’t follow Jesus for any number of reasons. They found his words impractical and simply ignored him. Even today, many people think that what Jesus has to say can be summed up as nice but out of sync with the times.
The words we hear today are not the words of a dreamer. Jesus came to tell his listeners and us, “This is the way it is folks, if you want to truly find God, this is the way to go. I am the way, and the truth and the life. Come to me through the good news of the gospel, the celebration of the sacraments, the breaking of bread in the Eucharist, and the lessons and truth that I pass on to you through the teachings of the Church.”
For any number of reasons, many former Catholics choose to distance themselves from the Church. Those who cannot or will not accept his message, proclaimed in the gospels and through the Church, are rejecting whom Peter calls the cornerstone. They could very well find themselves stumbling through life. If they find their hearts troubled, they need to ask themselves, “Which way have I been going? How have I gone astray?” Sometimes pride stops them from fully appreciating all that Jesus comes to offer us.
Their pride reminds me of a beggar who weekly beseeched a wealthy philanthropist for charity. The man listened patiently to the beggar’s tale of woe and always graciously doled out a generous gift. One day, the philanthropist interrupted the beggar and said, “Listen, you know I will continue giving you a nice amount every week. You don’t have to convince me anymore. A little less cringing, a little less whining about your condition, and we would both be happier.” The beggar drew himself up to the full stature of his ragged pride. “My good sir,” he replied indignantly, “I don’t teach you how to be a millionaire; please don’t teach me how to be a beggar.”
Like the beggar, are we too proud to appreciate what Jesus is offering us? He comes to show us to way to the Father, the greatest philanthropist around. Are we following his directions or like Philip, are we still not getting the point of his lessons, going instead our own way? By following Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, we become the “living stones” that Peter speaks of in his letter. This allows our hearts to be filled with a joy that comes only from having an intimate awareness of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.