Fifth Sunday of Easter A.  April 20, 2008. Our Lady of Grace, 7:30, 11:30 6PM.  Acts 6: 1-7.  I Peter 2: 2-9.  John 14: 1-12.

This weekend Pope Benedict visited a synagogue in New York to join in the opening of the annual celebration of Passover. Passover reminds us of the powerful acts by which God set the Jewish people free from a life of slavery in Egypt and led them to a new life of freedom in the Promised Land.  As Americans we place great value upon our freedom.  In fact, we often promote freedom as the highest of our values.  The fact of the matter is that the Jewish people wandered in circles in the desert for 40 years, free yet going nowhere because they had a very weak sense of who they were and where they were trying to go   Freedom without a strong sense of identity, strong values and an accurate picture of reality can get us into great trouble, even causing harm and death.  How many people have used their freedom to destroy their lives and the lives of others?

The story of the Passover began when Moses encountered the living God.  As Moses was walking along he saw a bush burning without being consumed by the flames.  Moses was confused by what he saw, so he went over to look at the burning bush.  When God saw Moses coming over to look at the bush he called out to him “Moses, Moses.”   Moses answered “Here I am.”  The voice said, “Come no closer and take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  The voice continued, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”  Moses was afraid to look at God so he covered his face.   God said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt – so I am sending you to Pharaoh and you are to bring my people out of slavery in Egypt.”  Moses said, “But if the Israelites ask for your name what should I tell them?  God said, “I am the one who is.”  Tell the Israelites “I AM has sent me to you.”   At that moment God stopped being a vague religious idea for Moses. Moses had experienced the presence of God.  He had heard God’s voice and seen the living flame of God’s presence.

For the first time in his life Moses was truly free in the full meaning of freedom.  Freedom is not about doing whatever you or I want.  Freedom is about knowing who God is and what God wants.  To chose anything less than the will of God is to choose something that is less real.  To choose something that is not the will of God may be sinful, or it may simply be something that is good but not fully worth choosing because it is passing away.  Only the will of God will last forever.

Jesus said, “You have faith in God, have faith also in me….Where I am going you know the way.”  Thomas said to Jesus, “Master, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?”  Jesus said, “I AM the way the truth and the life.”  Jesus purposely used the name of God spoken by God to Moses at the burning bush:  “I AM has sent me to you.”   Jesus is not just a prophet or a religious leader.  Jesus is the great “I AM” – Jesus is the living God who created the universe.  Phillips said to Jesus, “Show us the Father and that will enough for us.”  Jesus answered, “How can you say ‘Show us the Father.’  Do you not believe that I AM in the Father and the Father is in me.  Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

It is only when we see ourselves in relationship to Jesus that we see ourselves in relationship to reality and truth.  It is only when we see ourselves in relationship to Jesus that we see ourselves as we really are and as we are really meant to be in the plan of God.  Pope Benedict came to the United States to proclaim that Jesus Christ is our hope.  Jesus is the source of true freedom.  Jesus is the source of freedom that leads to the fullness of life now and in a life beyond this world.  Pope Benedict said, “In a society that rightly values personal liberty, the Church needs to promote at every level of her teaching …the truth of Christian revelation, the harmony of faith and reason, and a sound understanding of freedom, seen in positive terms as a liberation both from the limitations of sin and [liberation] for an authentic and fulfilling life.”   

He went on, “The Church in America, at this point in her history, is faced with the challenge of recapturing the Catholic vision of reality and presenting it, in an engaging and imaginative way, to a society which markets any number of recipes for human fulfillment.  I think in particular of our need to speak to the hearts of young people, who, despite their constant exposure to messages contrary to the Gospel, continue to thirst for authenticity, goodness and truth.”

We live in a society in which everything is relative and many points of view are seen as equally valid.  In our pluralistic society we must respect one another – Pope Benedict reminded of this as well.  At the same time, a sound and fulfilling life is based on using our freedom to discover the living God – the Divine I AM who is the origin and the goal of the universe and then in living in accordance to the Divine will.  A good life is based on good values discovered through human reason and Divine Revelation.  Freedom to believe whatever we want and to do whatever we want apart from the will of the great I AM is not freedom at all.  Freedom apart from God and sound values is in fact not freedom at all; it often leads to self-destruction.

Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”   For the gift of Divine Revelations and the voice of God written in the hearts of all people through human reason we give God thanks and praise today.