Dear Brothers and Sisters,
How many miracles did Philip and Thomas see in their three years with Jesus Christ. Countless, I imagine. Neither Philip nor Thomas understood when he said he would return and take him to himself and maybe we don’t understand it either. Jesus says to Philip, you have been with me for so long and you still do not know me. Don’t you know that I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and you don’t know that I am going to give you a place in heaven.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places, as many as the number of people we have. In my Father’s house we all fit. There is a special place there for you and your way of being, a room for you as you are. Don’t you understand what I mean? A special room for those who are angry, another special room for the neurotics, another for those who want to be alone, another for those who don’t want to listen to their wives, etc. There is room for everyone; we all fit there. There is a room there even for me: grumpy, selfish, neurotic one and the Lord loves me as I am. He doesn’t love my sin, but he loves me. This is something amazing and this is what we cannot lose.
In the parable of the ten virgins there were some who had oil and others who did not. And the lack of oil will be seen because the procession will be at night, the groom will come late. During Lent I hope that you have taken some oil that will last you until Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. If you were prudent you took some oil because you don’t know what will happen. What is this oil? It is the love of God that he has given you. He gives it to you freely; you cannot buy it. He’ll give it to you for free now. If he has not given it to you, then start to worry. Maybe that is why your heart is trembling, because you don’t have any oil. If you believe in God, believe also in me. Because Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and all of this is summed in one thing: you can love.
The Viking culture says that if a person died while fighting, they went to a place called Valhalla, which is like heaven. As Christians we are called to be like Vikings in this sense, fighting till the end, fighting to give our life, to give our life for the other. May the Lord find you in this way today; fighting to be chaste, fighting to be faithful, fighting to love the other, fighting to defend your marriage, fighting to be patient with your children, fighting to be able to serve the Church and then you will go straight to heaven.
When you give your life for the other that is the Way, Philip, that is the Truth and the Life: to love the enemy. The Vikings did not have this, but we have this: to love the enemy, to give your life for him unto death. Then we will enter heaven and into this special dwelling that the Lord has made for us. We are already beginning to enjoy it here in the Christian community, and its fullness will be in heaven. That is why the Lord can say, 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.
What is the work that Christ does? He loves his enemies, when we have been wicked and sinners, even coming to this Eucharist with our sins in our hands, hating the others, hanging onto our grudges, with our anxieties. Then listen to the Word and the Lord tells us to calm down, that I love you. Don’t let your heart be disturbed, I am with you. How can you believe that money is greater than me, that Covid is greater than me. You can do works greater than me, not because of you, but because Christ does them in you. This can only happen if Christ is within you. They are greater works because it is no longer the Son of God who does them, but it is you! You can now love the enemy. The greater thing is that with Christ you can love the enemy so rejoice!
Yes, we can do this but not if we fail to listen to the Word. Love is what lights the torches that the prudent virgins have. Your bride is your spouse, or your boss, or your kids, or your coworker who at times you cannot accept but if you have Christ, you can love them as they are.