Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Faith can be elusive. Sometimes we feel it fully, and sometimes it feels weak and vulnerable. I like the words of these readings, because they feature both aspects of faith.

This is a Gospel that is very accessible to someone born 2000 years after it took place. Probably everyone has had the experience of being with someone for years and then realizing that they have missed something fundamental about them. They may not believe that what they missed about the person is true. I learned only on his death that a friend with whom I had spent many hours had been present at the exorcism that was catalogued in the book, The Exorcist. When I learned this, I found it really hard to believe, because it did not seem to fit the vision I had constructed of him.

Philip had been close to Jesus, and traveled with Him for years. Though he was an apostle and followed Him as a teacher and healer, the clarity of Jesus’ divinity was just becoming manifest. As this Gospel unfolds, Jesus is making increasing references to being One with the Father, and Philip is having difficulty “coming along”. He wants more proof of what Jesus is saying. Addressing his difficulty, Jesus tries repeatedly to use the matters of experience and reason to point to a matter of faith.

On the other hand, we are shown a completely opposite response from the Gentiles in the Acts of the Apostles. Peter is finding seemingly leagues of people, who did not even share the Jewish traditions, and who did not have the benefit of knowing Jesus, who want to be included in this new covenant. They listen to Peter, are drawn to his words, and seem to accept the divinity of Jesus easily. They are eager to hear of the teaching and works of Jesus and partake of the Eucharist.

Throughout my life, I have always wondered how I would have reacted had I known Jesus. I am usually reticent, and a little skeptical, when encountering charismatic leaders. I am invariably drawn to the dynamism and words which ring true to me. When something is said, however, that is not entirely evident to me, I pull back and try to study, reflect, and either accept or reject what has challenged me. As I read Philip, asking for something concrete, I see myself. I am so glad that Jesus was patient with him!

Susan Schroeder-Barda