Sermon – 5th Sunday of the Easter Season – May 3, 2026 - John 14:1-12

"Do not let your hearts waver; have faith in God, and have faith in me."

This is how Jesus begins the Gospel as we know it today.

On these Sundays during the Easter period, leading up to Pentecost, we will be reading passages from the Gospel of St. John.

In these texts, Jesus prepares his disciples for the time when he will no longer be among them.

Because Jesus died on the cross, rose again, and then sent the Holy Spirit.

In today's Bible, Jesus begins with this sentence, telling us not to let our hearts waver.

Because He will prepare a place for us.

Jesus says we know the way to where He went.

So, which path should we follow to reach the place where Jesus is going?

The apostles say they did not know where Jesus was going and did not know the way.

But Jesus answers by revealing who he is. He says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Jesus is the way itself. How can we reach our eternal goal? Through Jesus.

In reality, the apostles didn't know exactly who Jesus was. We don't know Him completely either, and we can never know God completely.

Our knowledge is limited, and all the information we have about God is limited by our human capacity.

But God infinitely surpasses the limits of our human understanding. God is infinite. What we do is try to fit God within the confines of our human logic.

We can know God in this world, but only partially.

The apostles knew Jesus from his teachings and the miracles he performed, but they did not yet understand who he was.

Saint Augustine writes: “What human being can know all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Christ and concealed in the poverty of His body? Our knowledge will remain partial for now.”

Saint Paul also wrote to the Corinthians: "Now we see everything as a faint reflection in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now my knowledge is limited, but then I will know everything fully, as I am fully known."

The students could not have known exactly who Jesus was, because people cannot know exactly who God is.

God is far more than any definition we could ever offer.

But we can learn about God through Jesus.

Because Jesus is God.

Therefore, when Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, what did Jesus say?

Jesus says, “Philip, I have been with you for so long, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

Whoever sees Jesus, sees God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same God in three separate persons.

Jesus then emphasizes, “Believe in me, for I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”

There are not three gods. There is one God, three separate persons.

We see God, but we do not yet see everything of God. We will only attain this vision in Paradise.

So, who is Jesus? Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son, and therefore the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus is the person with whom we can come closest to God.

• It is the path we must walk in this world to reach the Father.

• According to Saint Augustine, Jesus is the path, because through Him man reaches God.

• He doesn't just teach the way. He is a living example: his life, actions, and teachings show us how we should live.

• It is the Truth we need to know in order to know the Father.

Saint Thomas Aquinas explains that Jesus is the Truth because he fully reveals who God is and the meaning of life.

He is not merely someone who tells the truth. He is Truth itself, embodied.

This means that a person who knows Jesus knows the deepest truth about God and themselves.

It is the Life we must live in order to attain eternal life.

Saint John Paul II writes that Jesus is Life because He gives spiritual and eternal life.

It is not merely about existing biologically, but about living a spiritual life by seeking unity with God through grace.

It not only shows how to live, but it also gives true life even in this world and leads to the Eternal Life that comes after death.

We know the truth, we walk the right path, and we attain the promised Eternal Life.

Jesus did not come to earth simply to walk among us. He teaches us who He is and who God is.

Therefore, we can know the path we must follow to reach our goal, paradise.

This is the safe path. Let us always walk in His path.

How do we know if we are on the right path? If we strive to be more like Jesus, then we are on the right path.

He is our example. If we imitate Jesus, we will never go astray. He is gentle and humble, and he loved us so much that he would have given his life for us.

If we follow this path, we won't get lost.

Today, let us ask the Virgin Mary for the grace to follow and imitate Jesus, so that we may always walk the path that can lead us to eternal life.