Jesus said to [Philip], "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." 

"She’s all laid up in bed with a broken heart, while I’m drinking all alone in my local bar, and we don’t know how we got into this mad situation: only doing things outta frustration. Trying to make it work, but man, these times are hard. She needs me now but I can’t seem to find a time. Is it God’s test? But we’re gonna start by drinking old cheap bottles of wine, sit up talking all night, saying things we haven’t for a while. We just now got the feeling that we’re meeting for the first time."

The Script's song "For the First Time" implies that the future of the couple will be different if they begin to solve a problem. In fact, we can change our futures with the choices that we make to the problems that we have right now. We can help our future lives if we do things differently. Literally, we can change the future. We can prevent tragedies from happening. In many things that we do, we control our destiny--if we find the proper solution. Of course, the problem comes in finding the proper solution.

For the Christian, the solution lies with Jesus Christ. In fact, he tells the Apostles that if they ask anything in his name, he will do it. It means that Christians will study Jesus' actions and words and find in them the answer that they need.

Belief in Jesus does not take away the problems, of course. Tragedies continue to happen. It is sad and unfortunate, but they happen. People are killed in accidents, companies go bankrupt, families lose their livelihoods, disease and illnesses cripple and eventually kill, loved ones die, romantic relationships break up. Such things are the result of the original sin of Adam and Eve who wanted to be like gods. There are some things that cannot be prevented. 

But then again, there are some things that can be prevented. We can choose to believe in Jesus, as the Gospel of John suggests, and understanding the belief, we begin to understand life. We will make our lives happier by finding the right solutions. Whether it means staying away from things that will harm us, or entering marriage only after we have prepared for it, or taking the time to heal the pain our words have caused, or accepting the pains of day-to-day living, we will choose the right solution. We will choose it because we have chosen to follow the thinking of Jesus.

Much of the pain and tragedy of life is our fault. In fact, the whole reasoning behind what Jesus did in his life was to ensure not only life hereafter, but a healthy life here on earth as well. People who truly accept Jesus to be the way, truth and life accept a lifestyle that helps them live well through this present life, no matter what happens. 

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, your Son gave us a life-style and taught us that if we live it well, our lives would truly be better than if we lived them without his guidance. Help us choose to live the way Jesus wants us to live. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America