Inbox Inspiration: May 10, 2020: Special - 16 Fifth Sunday of Easter

 Special – 16
Fifth Sunday of Easter 
Gospel: John 14:1-12   

I imagine that most of us have had the experience of seeing a newly-born baby.  Almost always we look at the baby’s physical features and try to see who the baby looks like or takes after.
We hear things like: “He has his father’s forehead and hair.” “She has her mother’s eyes.”
What’s underneath this is that we like to see characteristics that identify a baby as a member of the family. Or to put it another way, we like to see family members in the physical features of a baby.
Maybe we have not thought about it this way, but Jesus gets us caught up in something like this in today’s gospel. Philip asks the big question.
“Show us the Father” – “Show us God” – “Show us what God is like.”
And here is Jesus’ great response: “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”  “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”
In other words: “I take after my Father. You can see the Father in me.”
Of course, Jesus is not talking about physical traits, as we would with a newborn baby. But he is saying that in his concerns, in his thoughts, and in his actions, we can see the mind and heart of God. 
We can see God in him.
So, for example, when we hear Jesus saying, “Let those among you who are without sin cast the first stone,” we know that God is patient and accepting of our humanity.  When we see Jesus mingling with tax collectors and other so-called sinners, we know that God is inclusive and outreaching.
These images of God are important because they have real consequences. They tell us not only what God is like, but also what we as persons are to be like.

Father Michael Schleupner

In addition to the usual Wednesday edition, I began these Special Inbox Inspirations on Fridays and Sundays when the Coronavirus Crisis began. On Fridays, there is a prayer related to the crisis and on Sundays, a reflection on the Sunday gospel. I hope these are helpful.