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Fifth Sunday in Easter - A - May 22, 2011

The Way To The Father

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is the way to the Father. He brings God’s truth and his fidelity to the believer. And, he shares God’s life with the faithful. He is the one mediator between God and man. Our commitment should be to him alone.

MP3 PODCAST In this week’s audio podcast, we discuss the quality of doors; a quality door points to itself as well to the environment it leads to. When Jesus said, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life,” he referred to himself as the “door” to God’s truth and God’s life. He also revealed his divinity, go only God and bring us to God.

FIRST READING In the reading from Acts, there was a split in the community over care for the poor. The Apostles decided to created a new ministry to respond to the need, the ministry of the diaconate. God calls us to share in the ministry of prayer, witness, and service, like the apostles and the deacons, but according to his will, not ours.

PSALM Psalm 33 challenges us to rise above our own needs and to praise God, because he is God. He is the just and loving One, the Almighty. He is the only One that deserves our worship.

SECOND READING The author of 1 Peter used a construction analogy to describe Christ and our relationship with Christ. He is like the cornerstone of God’s Temple; we are bricks laid upon that cornerstone that build up the Temple. Christ is the cornerstone, but he also a stumbling stone for those who are scandalized by the Good News. As long as we follow Christ, we will worship the Father as a “holy people, a kingly priesthood.”

GOSPEL Do we really know Jesus? In John’s gospel, two disciples asked Jesus where he was going and how he was going to reveal the Father to them. The answer to both questions lie in a relationship with Jesus. The more intimately we know him, the more we will see the face of the Father and we will be assured he is preparing the way for us.

CHILDREN’S READINGS In the story for the reading of Acts, David needed help with his homework, but everyone was too busy. That problem was solved when his parents hired a tutor for David, just like the Apostles did when they got help from a new ministry, the diaconate. In the story for the Gospel, Maria doubted her hard work for her First Communion, simply because her cousin made a snide remark. Yet, her mother reminded her of her real strength, her faith in Jesus and her love for others. Jesus believes in us and wants us to spread his love to others. All he asks in return is our faith in him.

CATECHISM LINK The Catechism Link addresses the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. We are to trust God, put our hope in God will for our lives, and treat others the way God treats us, with respect and kindness.

FAMILY ACTIVITY Set up a maze to help your family members understand how Jesus leads us to the Father.

  More thoughts on Jesus as the Shepherd and the Sheep Gate.