Daily Gospel Reflection

Satisfaction Not Guaranteed

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant. Today's Gospel comes from John 14:6-14. We had part of this reading in a reading about a week or so ago but today we have a longer version of it. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father, but by me. If you had known me, you would have known my father also. Henceforth, you know him and have seen him."

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the father and we shall be satisfied." And Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long? And yet, you do not know me, Philip. He who has seen me has seen the father. How can you say, show us the father? Do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me, that I am in the father and the father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do in greater works than these, because I go to the father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it that the father may be glorified in the son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it."

I jumped out at you. It's a lot to choose from there. The easy ones are, ask for anything and I'll do it. But I'm going to pick something different. Philip says to Jesus, he says, "Lord, show us the father and we'll be satisfied." We have all encountered people in our lives, and we have all been this person in our lives. All encountered people who say to us, "Well, just do this and I'll be satisfied," or, "Do that and I'll be satisfied," or, "Let me have this and I'll be satisfied," or "Let me do that and I'll be satisfied."

And of course, we capitulate and they're not satisfied. And Jesus is mindful of that. He's mindful of that human nature. And he says to him, he says, "No, I think if seeing me isn't going to satisfy you and seeing all my works isn't going to satisfy you-- and so what is the word? The word is satisfied. And the problem we have is that this life is an experience of dissatisfaction, and we are looking to be fully satisfied in an experience of dissatisfaction.

And that is the problem. We're looking for the satisfaction, the complete total satisfaction of heaven on earth, and it doesn't exist here. And so we have to be mindful that our satisfaction, our desire for satisfaction, it can't be fulfilled. It can't be completely fulfilled. And so either we are going to govern it or it is going to govern us. Have an amazing day and remember, be bold, be Catholic