16 May 2019
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
One of the most frustrating things in life is to come to a point when you want a sign from God, but hear nothing. At moments of great need, we children want guidance from our Father. This is only natural. Yet part of our frustration may be that we are looking for that guidance in the wrong places. We seek a theophany, when God is speaking to us in far more mundane ways.
Jesus tells the Apostles today, “whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me” (Jn. 13:20). St. Ignatius, following a long line of Christian thought, emphasizes to Jesus that to obey one with authority over us is to obey God—thus, for instance, in the kitchen we ought to obey the cook as we obey Christ. In matters of doctrine and Church teaching, we have been sent the apostles and their successors, the bishops. In more mundane matters, we have been sent various others. God does not leave us without guidance—He has sent us many people to show us the way.