We know that cutting the power lines doesn’t turn on our light bulbs, lamps, or motors. We understand that a broken water line won’t quench our thirst. We know that what is interrupted is not fit for purpose and that eventually, we will know the natural consequences of the interruption.
In the spiritual life, it is similar. With the Church, breaking contact with God means stopping praying, stopping participating in worship, and stopping accessing the sacraments. Eventually, we also find that much has changed, and for us believers, in that case, only for the worse. Let us try to reflect on this subject today.

The Gospel tells us of a beautiful parable that the Lord Jesus told His listeners shortly before His Passion. The Lord Jesus wanted to remind everyone, including us, of what is most precious in the life of a Christian. It is man’s complete and most perfect union with God. He could not have portrayed this truth better than by a familiar simile to all His hearers. The Israelites had many vineyards. As the Lord Jesus looked at the vine bushes, He said: “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abided in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5).

The Lord Jesus compares Himself to a vine and us to a branch. His speech is multifaceted. He tells us that just as the twig lives only when joined to the bush, man can live life to the full only when perfectly joined to God.
What does this imply? First of all, the connection cannot only be half-hearted. A broken branch still draws the necessary nourishment from the bush, but only partially. We can say that it is still alive, but it is incomplete. It is in danger of being cut off from the bush and burnt. Thus, it will cause itself and the cru a nuisance. Similarly, we can speak of a completely severed twig who would like to live an independent life. Its fate is already sealed. It will wither; it will dry up. It fades because it is deprived of the life-giving sap that can only be drawn from the mother’s grain.
It is most beautiful when the twig is intact and connected to the bush. Only it can give it what it needs to live and bear fruit. The Lord Jesus cares deeply that we live, flowering branches on the bush himself. He is all about authentic connection. We can also say that we are to be as perfectly united to Christ as possible.

The Lord Jesus says: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what you will, and it shall be done for you. My Father is glorified in that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (Jn. 15:7).

These words of Jesus are unequivocal. Thus, Jesus longs for our complete union with him. In such union, the terms of St. Paul the Apostle are fulfilled upon us: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). This is all the more solemn because Jesus Himself asks us to do so. And let us realize that when Jesus asks, we should not resist. [This is his will. These are words that were very dear to the heart of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, let us persevere in complete union with Him.

What fruit can we expect from this union? Above all, an excellent immunity against our inward evil inclinations. Neither the devil, sin nor the world, with all its seductions, will harm him who lives with Jesus. Such a person feels strong because Jesus is in him, and he is in him. We can also say that Jesus thinks, does, and decides for him. He who leans on Christ depends on an irrefutable rock. It pays, therefore, to be united with Christ.
Another consequence of this union is the strengthening of our faith. A united person is more conscious of his faith than anyone else. Such a one can say with St. Paul, “I know whom I have believed…” (2 Tim. 1:12). Such a person shows his faith in deeds. We can say that he lives his faith daily. There is no difference between what he says and what he does in his life. Unificationism makes his life like the life of the Lord Jesus.
Another consequence of our union with Christ is the multiplication of our love. Because of this union, love grows, becoming as powerful as death. Therefore, such love enriches us and helps us gain much merit. Thanks to it, we then live the entire life of God’s children. Enriched by such love, we do not calculate whether such a union will pay off because we trust Christ that he is the only one who will help us develop our Christian life. Such a life to which the Lord Jesus himself invites us and in which he sees the true meaning of life.

We live in a great hurry. We often say: I have no time. Therefore, we do not notice something beneficial for our life because it passes through our hands without a severe moment of stopping. This Gospel, too, speaks of a powerful and necessary matter for each of us. Jesus wants so much for us to be inseparably together.

A boy once told me: It was Christmas. But it was not a holiday of peace. Dad had more to drink than usual. When he came home, he was sick. Everything was in his way. In the evening, we all cried my siblings and my mother. And Dad slept on the couch. Was this supposed to be a holiday of peace?

Another story: as long as a colleague is out of the office, we’re in heaven. We rejoice when she’s sick or on vacation because there’s always fire on the roof when she’s with us. Restlessness. She always finds a cause and a scapegoat.

On the other hand, we love to remember the places, the people where we had a fantastic experience from which we took away a great treasure – peace.

Jesus wishes for the apostles and that we may have as many such experiences as possible, where peace reigns and triumphs. Jesus expects us peace: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. But I do not give to you as the world gives” (Jn 14:27).

In the East, it is customary that when people say goodbye, they wish for peace: shalom, lechem! Peace be with you! Or: Peace be with you! When Jesus says goodbye to his disciples, he expects them to be at ease at the end of the first part of his discourse. But this peace is not superficial, insignificant, or deceptive as we often experience in our lives. Still, Jesus is speaking here of peace from God from above. Jesus is filled with it, and that is why he wants to give it to his apostles. There is great peace of love between Jesus and the Father. This peace can bring peace of mind and confidence to the apostles.
Jesus commissioned the apostles to spread his teaching. Therefore, the apostles are also to carry the peace of Jesus into the world. They are to teach the world peace. And that is why in his words, Jesus explains to them that this peace is from the heavenly Father who created this world.

Scientists from all areas of the macro or microcosm say that there is a fantastic movement around us. But they also say that this movement is different from the one we experience in our lives. They say that even though there is unusual movement, it makes you feel at peace. Everything is in its place. Everything has a mission, a position, and a function. We say that God the Father has made this world so immensely beautiful and perfect, before which scientists of world renown take their hats off when they speak of the Lawgiver of this fantastic nature.
We cannot speak of such peace in our lives. The constant tension, the rush, the hurry. Yes, it is movement. But this movement, this haste, cannot satisfy a man. Man does not find peace, or enrichment, quite the contrary. The word peace ceased to be pronounced, but the world has lost the actual content of the word. The word peace must first find its original content, and only then can we move on.

We, believers, say that the peace of Christ is the gift of God. Therefore, man can prepare himself to receive it by loving and obeying God. Whoever denies the peace of Christ cannot speak of true peace. Christ teaches us about peace, which is based on love. St. John the Apostle wrote: God is love, which means that there can be no peace where there is no love.

In vain will we speak of disarmament, of helping others, if there is no real and true love within us. It is necessary and desirable to see that peace reigns in the world. But we must remember that we must first strive for peace in our hearts, our families, and where we live. Without this sequence, we will never be able to say that real consensus exists or that we are striving for it.

Today’s words also apply: As I am, so is my family. As is my family, so is the town or village where I live. As is the village, so is the state. As are the countries, so is the world.
Peace can never put up with pretense, egoism, or trying to subjugate a brother by force. Peace means giving oneself. To know how to forget, to forgive, to forgive, to be able to see God in one’s neighbor. So, what does this mean for us in practice?

Did the father see God in his children and wife? No. That’s why he fell asleep in the pew, and his loved ones couldn’t say that Christmas was a holiday of peace for them.
Can any colleague say of a co-worker that she is a Christian when she keeps finding cause and reason to spread unrest in the workplace?
Many people say more about us tomorrow than they do today that they feel good around us. By our approach to life, let us not only show peace on our faces but, above all, let us have it in our hearts.

Recently, I visited a believing grandmother who can no longer attend church regularly because of her advanced age. I asked her: “Grandma, don’t you feel sad? ‘ And I received the embarrassing reply, ‘Mr. Pastor, no! I am never alone. When I have a moment, I sit down and pray. I have someone to pray for. Sometimes the children come, write, and even want to take me in, but I am fine here for the time being. When I pray, I feel that they are near me, and I often imagine that Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and my deceased are near me.” These are the words of a woman of faith for whom prayer means considerably. She understands the strength that the Lord Jesus offers in the Gospel to the apostles:

“He who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our abode with him” (Jn 14:23).

In its totality, this gospel is a preparation for the apostles for the moment when they will be without Jesus. Jesus prepares them because he loves them. He lets them know that when he fulfills his mission as Savior and Redeemer, he will not leave them alone even when he goes to the Father. He explains to them not to worry and that He will take care of them uniquely. Furthermore, they are informed that he must go, but they will meet because he is going to prepare a place where he wants to have all his own who will believe in him and live according to his words; that is, he is going to prepare a place for them and us in eternal bliss.
It is an essential and strengthening thought for us that here on earth, we will also be united with Jesus after his departure, but we are also in for a meeting that will know no end, a farewell…
These words of Jesus can also be understood as a light that sheds light on the moment when a person falls into a state of a kind of pessimism, hopelessness, and fear. If we trust in these words of Jesus at that time, one feels strong, and such a believer also realizes that he cannot keep this fantastic idea, which turns into action, that is, into a kind of message, for himself and therefore passes it on to the next generations.

This obliges us today. Today we are not content with believing, but we also have the desire to transform words into action, prepare and transmit to future generations of brothers and sisters the true faith, which is worthy of the noble reward that the Lord has prepared for those who love him.
One such proven way or thing is a good prayer: regular, devout, in union with God. We are already here to create an oasis in our hearts where one is refreshed, encouraged, and recharged. Whoever approaches the teachings of the Lord Jesus in the right way will never feel alone. Because even if he prays alone like the grandmother mentioned above, millions and millions of brothers and sisters are praying with him all over the world who are physically far away, but in God, such a soul lives, moves, and has existed.

In the fifties, a priest friend of mine also found himself in prison. He also survived several months in solitary confinement. That is something complicated. He didn’t see anyone for weeks, just a little light-up through a small window. And yet, he wasn’t allowed to sit; he didn’t even have anything to sit on. On top of that, he was interrogated day and night, sometimes for hours. What kept him going, that he survived at all? The thought that he was in the hands of God! When it was hardest, he used to say that he would whisper like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, not my will but yours be done!”
He was considered a Vatican spy, a traitor, and a nation’s pariah. He who taught to love the country taught children to honor their parents and superiors and earned his living by honest work. Today, he is a man without a criminal record because the nation has recognized its mistake and rehabilitated him. He speaks like this: “Already in the seminary, I realized as a young theology student that I would either belong to Christ wholly and completely or I would leave. I didn’t leave. My exercise of devotion to Christ paid off. I could see that in my own life.”

We do not know what the Lord has in store for us. What tests of faithfulness we will have to undergo. Many brothers and sisters have betrayed the Lord Jesus in life’s difficulties. But today, Jesus wants to strengthen us. He goes to the aid of those who remain faithful to Him, who keep His words.

Faithfulness to Christ is a guarantee for us that Jesus will remain faithful to all of us, to those born before, and to you, dear young friends. The believing Christian is never alone. Jesus is with him. He is in our hearts when we pray, when we show love not only for God but also for our neighbor, and even when we want to enjoy our youth to the full.

Not a thousand times, no. We don’t ring the dying bell; We ring the morning bell. Though the tempter first, second, and third times break your will, to you, the dying bell does not ring; it rings for the hope of heaven. It rings for the living, for the joy of salvation; it tolls for the coming of life. Even the believers of this age will not lose their salvation. Our Father, who art in heaven. It is Thy will that we may live today and carry the Gospel to the world’s people. It is your will that we may be able to decide freely and say: we believe. And that You may be able to tell us. Blessed be my Father, take the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world.
I have been permitted to leave. Farewell, my friends. I am going to meet the Lord. Here I return the key to my door. The invitation has come, and I am ready to leave. A terrible black night is approaching. It cannot be driven away. It will come upon you. It will encircle you. Would you like to know the secret of death? But how can you find it if you don’t look for it in the heart of life? Life and death are one, as the river and the sea are one. In the depth of your hopes lies your knowledge of the other world. I have come to the edge of your eternity, in which nothing can be lost. Here in the gates of darkness stands death. The mother of graves, the king of times. What are you before me, man? The air that flies against the cliffs, a bubble on the sea waves, what is of your waiting for tomorrow? You would like to catch Sunbeams in your hand and always have them empty. You’re setting the happiness table when my chariot pulls up at your door. I’ll take you whenever I want. A child from his mother’s arms, all of you, a strong man from his path. What a man thou art before me. In the end, of the beginning, you’re just about to live. Your hands lie dead in the coffin; your eyes turn to dust. Even the rosy cheeks, the earth will take. Nothing is yours anymore. Thou shalt not call out in joy to the morning silence; thou shalt not answer when they seek thee. Who would look for you? What are ye before me who stand over the grave? We cling to the promises of God. God is not the God of the dead but the living. He who believes in me shall live, though he dies.

When meeting young children and their parents, kind words are often spoken: All after Daddy! All Mommy’s! Children grow up. When a son or daughter is doing well, it is adorable when sons say; You’re all, Daddy! And the son is proud. Likewise with the daughter because they all get the credit for it. They try. They are working on themselves.

Jesus says to Philip: “Whoever sees me sees the Father” (Jn 14:9).

Jesus not only gives a beautiful lesson to Philip but to us today. Whoever knows Jesus knows the heavenly Father. These words are not about a kind of sensory tactile knowledge. All the apostles knew that God is pure spirit, that Jesus only took the form of a man out of love for us. Instead, this is about a knowledge of faith that wants to reveal itself even more to those who see with their eyes. The religion of the apostles had to grow too. Philip, too, would later mature in the idea that in Jesus, we also see the Father. But first had to come Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Only then is the mystery of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, revealed.

If Jesus had not taken the form of a man, we would not know about this beautiful relationship between the Father and the Son, this incredible bond of love of the third divine person, the Holy Spirit. Jesus points to His Father in all His actions. He forms a unity with him that is not divided, even though he took upon himself the form of a man for 33 years out of love for us. In this, we see the unique relationship of the Father and the Son when the Son not only lives but is truly unbroken and united to the Father. We also see this in the address He teaches His apostles when He calls the Father a Father to us. Thus, we are taught that we are all sons and daughters of the heavenly Father. Therefore, an excellent relationship of trust and love is established between the Father and us…

This interpretation of the relationship of Jesus to the Father, not only his own but also ours, should touch us, fill us, and enrich us.
Therefore, it is also our duty as Christians to enrich the world with the great values of love. The teachings of Christ have value precisely because they speak of love. Not an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but thou shalt love God and thy neighbor as thyself. If only we understood this from the teachings of Christ, it would already be an outstanding contribution to the world even today. We would resemble our Creator. In the Old Testament in Genesis, which we call Genesis, we read that we are made in the image of God. That means we are created in the most beautiful way God has recognized to make in His wisdom. Man is a perfect creature, a work of God’s love. If it were not so, would Jesus have taken on the form of man?

Yet we believers often devalue that likeness. By what? Sin! The Christian who bears the name after Christ should strive in his life to model the image of Christ in us to those who have not believed or have not received such knowledge of Christ. John the Apostle wrote: God is love. Thus the Christian, the confessor of God, should not only preach love but also live it. It isn’t easy. Today, we should ask for strength from the Lord Jesus to learn love from him so that the world can learn it from us.

Do we resemble Jesus? Do they see Jesus in us? Are we not making a caricature of Jesus with our lives? When a son or daughter reaches his or her father or mother in a good way, it comforts the parents. We can equate it that way in the spiritual realm as well. Let us do all we can to be like our brother, Jesus Christ, like God, in whose image we were created. Amen.

Today’s Gospel is not a legend. At the farewell supper with the disciples, after Judas has gone to betray Jesus, Jesus says to the apostles, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. That you also love one another as I have loved you. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (Jn 13:34-35).
The Easter season reminds us of the severe demands that Jesus expects of us. Among them is the command to love one another. Before His ascension, the Lord Jesus gives His apostles knowledge about how they are to act at that time, and He expresses it in words, “That you also love one another, just as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). Jesus calls these words “the new commandment.” It means that the disciples are to continue in the style of Jesus’ life and activity. It is a challenging ideal to which we are all called by Jesus. These words of Jesus cannot be realized unless one truly puts oneself into the game of life. The identifying sign is simple but challenging. But those who have known the love of the Lord Jesus in their skin, in their own lives, who live out of this love, who accept it, who understand it, have understood these words of Jesus. Whoever has understood these words and has taken them as his own can more efficiently and more than anyone else implement them in his life.

St. John the Apostle wrote: “I have seen new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. And I saw a holy city coming down out of heaven from God, the New Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:1-2). We know why Jesus came into the world, why He became like us in human flesh. Jesus wants us to cooperate with him in our salvation. We have closed the first heaven to ourselves through sin. Jesus, by his death, opens heaven for us. Having received the Holy Spirit, we are to cooperate with his graces to merit participation in the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God. In Scripture, we encounter categories that we are to know and arrange our lives accordingly. The new image of heaven that Jesus presents to us when we love one another, that “… by this, all will know that you are my disciples” (Jn 13:35), awakens in our hearts’ commitment, hope, and love. The words of Jesus are a source of energy for our life when God is our Father, whose heart is full of love and mercy. Jesus, at his ascension, promised us that he was coming to prepare a place for us. The old image of heaven causes us to fear the greatness and holiness of God. In the Old Testament, Isaiah cries out: “Woe is me, yes, I am lost. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among men of unclean lips” (Isaiah. 6:5). Similarly, before accepting Jesus as his Redeemer and Savior, Peter says to him: “Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man” (Lk. 5:8). Jesus had to convince Peter and the apostles that He came into the world for the weak and sinful, not to those who think they have no sins and do not need God’s help. New earth arises in us when we believe in the love of God and begin to respond to His love with our lives. Words alone are not enough: “Faith without works is dead” (Jes 2:26). God wants us to build a “new earth” by accepting the “new commandment” by living a life of love among ourselves.

New earth must be built up in everyone who has believed in Christ. Life events tell us that it is not enough to be born into a Christian family, and it is not enough to be a believer as a child or only sometimes when it suits me. At baptism, the seed of faith was planted in our souls. The growth is given to us by God. None of us knows when the harvest – death – will come for us. We must work on the role of our faith. It is impossible to live alone in life. Interpersonal relationships are often tricky, unpleasant, and challenging. Not only do others have faults, shortcomings, commit mistakes, and sins, but each of us. That is why we are obliged to forgive each other. Jesus teaches us to implement the command to love one another in our lives. We understand that Jesus’ words about this command are still valid today. They have not lost their meaning. We must keep them if we want to be saved.
A look at Jesus says that he first acted and then spoke. First, he forgives sins, and when he speaks of love. Let us remember Zacchaeus. Jesus gives his life for us and thus does not just talk about love.

Those who want to speak of love must mature in it. It is not something that can be rehearsed. Developing in love grows out of knowing God personally to us. Love, according to the gospel, is not ignorant and blind. It is undoubtedly related to knowledge. We realize that Jesus-style love is not based on a declared truth but a proper attitude. Thus, Jesus teaches us to love even when our love is not reciprocated, even at the sacrifice of our own lives.
When the Turk Mehmet Ali Agca assassinated Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981, we know that the Pope was not angry with his murderer, but he came to visit him in prison later that year that he loved him.
On May 4, 1998, a tragedy happened. A member of the Swiss Guard, Cédric Tornay, shot his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Alois Estermann, his wife, and then shot himself as well. It was out of jealousy. We know that the murdered man’s family also came to his funeral. Why? To tell them not to be angry with him. These believers know the words: “Everyone angry with his brother will go to judgment” (Mt. 5:22).
We know that we are to love one another. There is no need for anyone to remind us of this. But we also know how difficult it is to love our neighbor. To love those who are different from us. It is true that if all people were as we want them to be, we would have no difficulty loving them. However, we know that this will never be the situation on earth. And that is why, at Easter time, Jesus’ words are timely, and it is convenient to take note of them and arrange ourselves accordingly. Judas leaves the Upper Room to betray him, but Jesus doesn’t stop loving him. Jesus loved us to the uttermost.
We will meet many little Judases in our lives, too. Shall we stop loving them? Do we become Judases ourselves, and do others have to stop loving us? We should want to beg for true love, both for God, our neighbors, and ourselves. We realize that Jesus wants us to renounce hatred, evil retaliation, aggression, judgments… After Mass, we return to ordinary life. To people who may not respond to our love with love but with sin. We must not and do not want to hate them and follow them in sin. Therefore, let us ask the Eucharistic Christ for the strength to persevere in sound, in love.

Quo Vadis? Where are you going? The mother, from the opening of the sermon, loves her daughter. Brother loves brother. This is what Jesus expects of us.

Sometimes one finds oneself at a crossroads, not knowing which way to go next to reach the right destination. So, it is in the spiritual life. One finds oneself at a crossroads and asks: how to proceed? Decision-making is challenging when one realizes how much unnecessary journey and effort one has already made, just because one has not thought, taken advice, wanted to experience something, etc. Perhaps even today, at this very moment, we find ourselves at a crossroads, searching for the right path that would lead us to true happiness, that would resolve our doubts and answer life’s most important questions. It is not easy. Often we are caught off guard, and even when we take the right path, we must not take chances.

Jesus wants to intervene in our lives. He declares interesting words about Himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6).

In our life journeys, we often hear but also find ourselves stating that there must be someone who created all this, who controls it all, namely God. Many people believe in God in this peculiar, straightforward way. But we know more about it – thanks to the teachings given to us by Jesus Christ. He has also invited us on this journey to God, the Creator. He who became Savior for us. His actions thus become a signpost for us, a signpost that wants us to arrive at our destination, guaranteed and successfully. We, therefore, understand His teaching as both a guide and an open gate that leads to God the Father. All we have to do is step out and follow in his footsteps.
We realize that our goals are our salvation, eternal happiness, and meeting with the Father. How well we go through life when we have a clear plan! But how difficult life is when one lives in uncertainty. But what if there is “that” which I deny, which I do not want to acknowledge, which I resist and avoid in every possible way?

We often liken ourselves to pilgrims walking towards eternity. When we communion with God, we do not have to be afraid, even if we cannot completely rid ourselves of anxiety. But we accept the words of the Lord Jesus, which become our strength: “Let not your heart be troubled!…. In my Father’s house are many mansions… and I will prepare a place for you…” (Jn 14:1-3).

However, do we ask, in what sense did Christ become our way into this eternal dwelling place? He tells us: “… and also believe in me… I am the way, the truth…” (Jn 14:1-6). Christ is then our way when He gives us the truths to believe and gives us the principles, the commandments, by which we are to live on our life’s journey. Many of these commands seem difficult for us.
We know that living according to the Gospel is demanding and requires much of a person. But behind all of this, we see the difficulties that we must overcome and master and see the reward in eternity. Therefore, he who looks at eternity, at Christ, in this way, will not say that it is difficult because he longs for something precious, which this difficulty guarantees. Many forsake the way for problems, but those who have genuinely believed in Christ make progress. Many are for our edification in good and evil. Many have gone only for the glitter. We see many tragedies, human misfortunes, wrecks… Many don’t even know why they don’t believe. They keep repeating something that doesn’t logically agree, or they want to replace God with something that will silence their questions. Until when? And how?

Human ways are sometimes accessible. There is something strange about how sin can paint a new sin pink. Sin breeds sin. And happiness, joy, and contentment drift away, fade, and fade away. But Jesus says: “Whoever wants to come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24). And in another place, he adds, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:30).
This, however, a man must be able to accept, decide for it, and not just expect another to do it for him, or that he can only choose the cream and better… We realize that we have many resources to help us walk life’s journey victoriously. However, we need to notice them and implement them in our lives.

Let us often reflect on our journey in life. What is our path? What is it that makes our trip the most difficult? Why are we so oblivious, superficial, and indifferent on our journey? Let us ask Jesus to be our guide to right living.

Brothers and sisters, it is a great joy for parents to look into their child’s face and see their face in it. When a father holds his son in his arms, we involuntarily look for similarities in features and later characters. Our human sight wants to penetrate it all. : we want to see.

Even the apostles wanted to see the Father. And Jesus answers in astonishment, “Philip, I have been with you so long, and you do not know me? Whoever sees me sees the Father…” (Jn 14:9).

This passage from the Gospel of John again contains one almost `amazing’ point – a misunderstanding in the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus’ thinking is radically different. Once again, he is out of step with his surroundings. He transcends the myopia of human ideas. Philip surely was asking quite sincerely – even plainly.
But… it’s best if we put ourselves “in the shoes” of Philip for a moment and imagine Jesus addressing us by name as well, asking, “You’ve been with me so long, and you don’t know me?”
Indeed, that’s how long you’ve been with us, Lord – years, decades… That’s how long we’ve been praying for you, trying to communicate with you, pleading with you… Many of us could confess our personal experience of Christ, yet we still don’t know him, we doubt… We want to see the Father as if the Son were not enough. And that’s the minor problem with our relationship.

Especially in the 1990s, Father & Son type companies appeared in our living space like mushrooms after the rain. What has been a decade or more long tradition in Western economies? Father and son – continuity of life, ideas, work… What a natural thing. Quite close to us.

Something similar, but an entirely different relationship quality, is presented today by Jesus. Our quality of relationship with Jesus is also built on the understanding of the phrase: “He who sees Me sees the Father.” Notice that everything Jesus does, he makes it in the people’s hearts and does not just bind it to his person. He is constantly talking about the Father. And we always feel the warmth of the relationship between him and the Father – we think it in his words, his attitudes. The Father’s whole life is determined by unity with the Son and vice versa.

Today is a new challenge for our faith. A faith that goes beyond parochialism to persons is faith in the Trinity – in a relationship that produces love. He who loves is very close to seeing more than Philip saw. To see the Father in the Son. That he not be seduced by the temptation of our experience, which presents the relationship of father and son as a struggle, a competition, and sometimes even hatred.

Jesus spoke to the apostles and another lesson of the Gospel that is of fundamental importance for us. The Father-Son relationship is eternal, and we are called to live his image already here on earth. The Father-Son relationship is existential for each of us. In a sense: it determines our whole life. Let us not be afraid to embrace this mystery of the relationship between the Father and the Son, for only it will teach us to live our fatherhood and our sonship properly. Each of us is both father and son. If this is not the case, there is still a long way to go…

Today, I especially wish all fathers and sons the unity Jesus presented today. The agreement that is a witness to the relationship