Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 283

Reading 1

Acts 13:26-33

When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue:
 “My brothers, children of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him,
and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets
that are read sabbath after sabbath.
For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence,
they asked Pilate to have him put to death,
and when they had accomplished all that was written about him,
they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.
These are now his witnesses before the people.
We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you
that what God promised our fathers
he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus,
as it is written in the second psalm,
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab

R.    (7bc)  You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.”
R.    You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
“Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”
R.    You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
R.    You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia

John 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Promises, Promises

I am not very trusting of promises. Maybe I have reasons not to always believe them, but I am more likely to say the above phrase “promises, promises,” sarcastically than in earnest. Over time, I have come to believe that I can trust in God’s promises.

Building Trust with a Patient God

This was not my natural inclination, and it didn’t come easily. Many years ago, I was in a situation where I needed to trust God and I completely failed. I freaked out, became angry, doubted, accused, demanded help, and assumed He had abandoned me. Then, at the last moment, He came through for me, in a blaze of God-like glory. Glory and power that only God could display. And I believed, but after the fact.

Then He did it again. And again. Years later, I have moved through a progression of belief in His promises. While I have no right to want or need it, and He has no obligation to do it, He patiently and gently built up my faithlessness into belief. Today, I don’t doubt His goodness, and I know that I can trust Him. But I still feel scared of the time in between the promises.

Living Between Two Promises

Today, I am waiting on a promise. He brought us to our new home in Northern California on promises. We knew this was where we were meant to go, and we knew He held promises for our family and our future here. Today, I stand on what feels like crumbling ground. I don’t know what will happen today, or tomorrow. I have a feeling or foreboding today. I’m expecting a change in our lives and I don’t know what will happen next. So what about the promises? The ones that moved us here, and we thought would be here for our family?

A lot can happen between a promise and its fulfillment. Between the promise of the coming of Jesus and the promise of His return to take us home, a lot has happened. And I think a lot more will happen before He comes back. I don’t know what that looks like.

We never can know what it looks like. And it never looks like we think it will or should. I look back over my life, over the problems and struggles I have had and the ways that I have waited on God. What I wanted Him to come in and do is never what happened. He always came, and His promise was always kept, but how He came through was never how I thought He would.

Recognizing the Promised

It was better. Mind blowingly better. Every time. The Jews did not know what their messiah would look like. They thought they did. They were expecting a very specific solution to their situation. When God sent Jesus instead, many didn’t recognize Him. They rejected Him because He wasn’t what they expected. He was better. Mind blowingly better. In every way. And they missed it.

I don’t want to miss the Better because I am clinging to what I expect and want as a solution. The gospel reading today says that there is only one way. Jesus. He is the only way to the Father. The difference between life and death stands on not missing that one Way. And He is so much better.

Encouraging One Another

We need to keep encouraging one another. It is so easy in the face of brokenness and fear to lose hope and miss the Way. I need help to remember, especially today, when I wait for it all to fall apart. I need to be encouraged to remember His promises, past present, and future. And what’s more, to remember that He always keeps them and He always come through to save us, in ways we never imagined. He is always better.