Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’
MAY DAY!
It is interesting that on the Calendar of May 1st we should have also be calling out the international words of distress coming with the Gospel of John 14. Some people confuse these words of John 14 to mean that the only way to heaven is to be a Protestant, a Catholic or some other type of Christian. Nonetheless, there are Hindus and Muslims and others in heaven that don’t fit our idea of who gets to Heaven. Our associate pastor Father Vince said in a sermon on Divine Mercy Sunday that we cannot say with any certainty who is in heaven or hell. We have a Merciful Savior and His Mercy is boundless. Judas could have repented the second before his death.
What we do know is that they only got to heaven because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. He is the Way and the only Way anyone will get to Heaven. John writes, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.’
Except for Jesus we would have no way to get to Heaven. He paid the price. He is the way. There is no other human on earth who has or had the ability to lead us to Heaven. Only Jesus! A retired Navy Admiral that I knew once said that there are always prayers in a foxhole, and no one asks what religion you belong. Everyone is praying to God. 2John 1:7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful one and the antichrist. Jesus is the only answer, but we must respect others that we are trying to convert and convince them of the truth.
To love our neighbor we must love them even thought they don’t realize the Jesus is the only one they are looking and searching. 1John 4:11-12 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. You can’t convert someone if you hate them or kill them to convert them. Love doesn’t judge.
The May Day warning of our scripture today acknowledges that salvation is through only one person and that person is Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, we can’t convert someone by treating them like dirt or condemning them for their beliefs. To convert the world to the truth we need to love more and hate less. We need to respect others that haven’t come to the realization that Jesus is the Way. Our job is to love them and show them the way by our love.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for Pope Leo XIV. Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for peace! The impossible could and can happen. (Saint Rita) Never deny God! Pray for justice for immigrants! Pray for justice for our President and all government officials! Pray for Immigrants! Pray for Peace!
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