Br Jordan Albert Paul

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
— Acts 3:19

If then, you ask which way to go, accept Christ, for he is the way: this is the way, walk in it (Isa 30:21). And Augustine says: walk like this human being and you will come to God. It is better to limp along on the way than to walk briskly off the way. For one who limps on the way, even though he makes just a little progress, is approaching his destination; but if one walks off the way, the faster he goes the further he gets from his destination.
—St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of John

Friends,

In today’s Gospel, St. John recounts an explicit and direct quote from Jesus: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This often, unfortunately, gets explained away.

In formation with the senior youth a couple of weeks ago, we were discussing just war theory. There was a comment in passing that stuck out to me about this whole scheme being, at its core, a failure to trust in God. I’m not sure I agree but I think they were on to something about the tendency to explain away today’s Gospel lesson.

It is easy to state that you are a Christian. It is harder to live in such a way that you don’t attract questions about the sincerity of your faith. The response often seems to be to water down the claims of your faith such that everyone’s responsibility is lessened, no demands are made, and Jesus becomes something more akin to simply a great teacher guiding one group of people up the same mountain as all other religions. Is that the solution?

I often get a dirty or confused look when I am with a friend, see something questionable, and make a comment about the necessity of repentance. I often explain that I don’t count myself exempt from that but that command doesn’t just apply to me. It applies to us all. Imagine the world where taking the words of our own prayer book seriously is a given: repent and return to the Lord (p. 304).

In Christ,

—Br Jordan Albert