A: 5th Sun of Easter (10 May 2020) - GOD KNOWS BEST (Jn 14:1–12)

In most societies today on the second Sunday of May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. In the modern era, it was first celebrated in 1908. But one noticeable detail is the spelling of Mother’s Day, with the noun “mother” in the singular, not in the plural. One pioneer of this spelling, that has survived through the decades, is Anna Jarvis, who in 1912 insisted that this noun should “be a singular possessive, for each family to honor its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world”(cf. The Vancouver Sun. Canada). What Jarvis is telling us here is that, first and foremost, we need to value our own biological mothers for their invaluable sacrifices for us. From this realization and experience inside our homes, we can begin loving in turn all other mothers in the world. Thus, the celebration of universal motherhood is an offshoot of one’s celebration of love and joy with his/her own mother.

Our gospel presents Jesus’ famous self-revelation with the words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (14:6). Sadly, the disciples did not totally fathom the meaning of this Christological truth. Representing the disciples, Philip asked Jesus: “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied” (v. 8). With this statement, they appeared to be looking for concrete ways to salvation despite Jesus’ candid proclamation that he is indeed the [one and only] way. Apparently, they did not understand that the way is not to be taken as literal as it should be. It is not a thing, but a person, who is Jesus himself the Son of God.

Like most of us, we search for concrete tangible objects, specific activities, and systematic procedures that will bring us satisfaction. Metaphorically, we look for earthly ways, roads, or paths to lead us to true happiness. But despite man’s best efforts to the point of becoming mechanical in this endless quest, fulfilment remains such an elusive thing. The truth of the matter is it is only in Jesus and in God’s mysterious ways that we can finally stop from seeking earthly pleasures and happiness. But that will only happen if we allow God to rule our lives.

During these days, at the heights of the pandemic, we are weary each day on what concrete ways, measures, and steps should be undertaken to save us all from this disaster. Politicians and leaders debate on whether facemasks should be required or not, whether the lockdown should be ceased or not, whether tests should be administered to the public or not, or whether radical treatment should be made available to the seriously ill or not. And the list goes on. While seeking for the best measures is laudable, it should not give us a false confidence on our human efforts. But the greatest realization in this pandemic is that the life we have is not ours, for it is in God’s hands.

Most of us were raised with the rule of thumb: “Mothers know best!” While it is not true literally as mothers can definitely be mistaken like any human being, we accept this as sacrosanct maxim. We understand it to mean that mothers do the best they can for the best of their children. That being said, they know best on how to sincerely take care of their offspring. Similarly, with Jesus as the Way, we are led to put into heart that God is above all the catastrophes that we our experiencing. We may not totally understand his mysterious ways, but we know, that like our own mothers, he reserves something better for us at the end of this winding and dark road. May we then continue to have full confidence in this divine assurance.

Hence, in our spiritual life, our running motto should always be: “God knows best!”

- Rex Fortes, CM