Followers of the Way

 

 

 

Article by Father Francis Maple - LINK HERE 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

 

FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY

 

I once had a priest friend who spoke very bluntly.  If a person wasn’t talking sense he would say, “You’re on the wrong bus, Mate!”

 

Buses, of course, usually display a destination board at the front.  What should be written on the destination board of your and my life?  I hope our destination board reads “Jesus” - if not, then we are definitely “on the wrong bus”!

 

St. Luke tells us in his Acts of the Apostles: “It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians” (11:26).  Interestingly, he doesn't say “The disciples called themselves Christians”; no, it was what other people called them.  In the Church’s very early years, followers of Jesus Christ did not call themselves “Christian”, they defined themselves as “Followers of the Way”. 

 

In our Gospel today, Jesus says “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”.  In this statement, Jesus takes three of the great principles of the Old Testament, and declares that He is the fulfilment of all three.  Today I would like to concentrate on just two words: “THE WAY”. 

 

We are all on a journey through life.  Every single human person at this moment is somewhere along that short passage between birth and death.  The big question is: “Where are we going?”  It's something every one of us should be asking ourselves every single day - just where does the road we are travelling lead?

 

Jesus left His disciples in no doubt at all where He was going: “I go to Him who sent Me.” (John 7:33). Again and again He told them “I am going to the Father”, but they found this hard to understand.  It became even harder for them when Jesus started telling them that His path home to the Father involved dying on a cross.  This left them bewildered.  Peter could not accept this.  He was not going to let this happen.  But Jesus swiftly rebuked him, “Get behind Me Satan.”  (Mt. 16:23)  That must have left the others rather afraid to question Him any further.

 

There was, however, one of them who had both the honesty and the courage to own up to his own doubts.  That, of course, was our dear friend Thomas.  He spoke of his doubts and inability to understand.  This question brought from Jesus the beautiful words, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  That should encourage us never to be ashamed of our doubts before God.  To feel doubts does not betray a lack of faith, but rather a faith which wants to grow deeper.

 

To a Jew at the time of Jesus, the words, ‘I am the Way’ were both powerful and awesome.

 

We see in the Old Testament countless references to the way people needed to live if they were to walk in the ways of the Lord. 

In Deuteronomy (5:32) we read: "You shall not turn aside to the right or to the left, but shall walk in ways which the Lord God has commanded you."  The Prophet Isaiah told the people: "Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying “This is the way, walk in it" (30:21). He also spoke of “The Way of Holiness" in which no person, even the simplest, would be lost (35:8).

 

Psalm 27 prays "Lord, teach me Your Way, so that I may walk in the Truth (v.11)

 

So the image of a Way that led to God was very familiar to them.  Imagine, then, the impact of Jesus saying: "I am that Way".

 

So the Road to God is not a "concept", but a person. Follow Jesus, and you too will find your way leads, not to death and non-existence, but to eternal life with God.

 

All the saints followed Jesus.  Let us take one saint, Teresa of Avila.  She wrote a wonderful book of spirituality entitled "The Way of Perfection".  For her Jesus the Lord is most definitely THE Way, and she admits no other spiritual path than a close and faithful adherence to Him.  She speaks of this beautifully when writing about the Eucharist.  She says, "If, while Jesus lived in the world, the mere touch of His garments healed the sick, who can doubt that when He is dwelling in the very centre of our being He will work miracles on us if we have a living faith in Him?" (208).

 

She also encourages us to have a firm and faithful perseverance in following The Way, that everything depends on people having a great and resolute determination never to halt until they reach their journey's end." She is strongly encouraging us to persevere on our journey to the bitter end.

 

What all of us must all ask ourselves every day when we examine our conscience is Where am I going?  If we are not following Jesus, the Way, then we are definitely travelling the wrong road.  Reach out for Jesus.  Let Him take hold of you and show you the way. 

 

Yes, at the end of each day, we would do well to ask ourselves: “Which bus am I on today? On the destination board is the word Jesus displayed?”