Jesus, the Truth Incarnate

Homily for Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Eastertide

In the Scripture passages that we proclaim today, we find St. Paul commending the Ephesians to God. In the Gospel text for today, Jesus does the same thing for his apostles.

St. Paul warns the Ephesians that once he leaves, savage wolves would come among them and attempt to draw them away from the Gospel that St. Paul had preached. After his words of warning, he knelt with them in prayer.

The Gospel text for today is taken, once again, from the high priestly prayer of chapter seventeen of St. John’s Gospel in which Jesus prays for unity among them and that they be consecrated in the truth. Jesus himself is the truth incarnate. Just a few hours later, Jesus was standing before Pontius Pilate. He explained to Pilate that he had come to testify to the truth. However, Pilate dismisses him with the scornful question: “What is truth?” Pilate represents the world that does not understand the truth that Jesus brings.

In the Eucharist that we celebrate every day, we encounter Jesus. In this encounter, we renew our consecration and mission to bring Jesus, the truth incarnate, to our world.