Seeing the Father Through the Son: The Boldness of Faith

Voice over by Angeline Chue Chue

Acts 13:44-52, Psalm: 97, Jn 14:7-14

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

The Easter season continues to unfold the mystery of the Risen Lord’s presence in His Church. Today, we witness two responses to the proclamation of the Gospel: rejection and joyful acceptance. And in the midst of this drama, Jesus reveals the deepest truth of all: to see Him is to see the Father. This revelation gives us the courage to speak, to suffer, and to rejoice, no matter how the world responds.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas preach in Pisidian Antioch. Almost the whole city gathers to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews see the crowds, they are filled with jealousy and contradict Paul’s message. Paul and Barnabas respond with boldness: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.” The Gentiles rejoice, glorify the word of the Lord, and as many as were destined for eternal life believe. The word spreads through the whole region. But persecution follows; they are expelled from the district. Yet the disciples are “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” Rejection does not defeat them; it redirects their mission. The scattering becomes sowing.

In the Gospel of John, Philip makes a request that seems so reasonable: “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus’ response is gentle but profound: “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.” Jesus is the perfect image of the invisible God. To know Him is to know the Father’s mercy, justice, and love. Then Jesus makes a staggering promise: “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 He adds the key to mission: “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

The apostles in Acts lived this promise. They asked in Jesus’ name, and the Spirit gave them boldness. They did “greater works” —not greater in power than Jesus’ miracles, but greater in scope, reaching the ends of the earth. When rejected, they turned to the Gentiles with joy. They did not despair because they had seen the Father in the Son, and they trusted that the Son was with them always.

Pope Francis reflects on this Gospel: “To know Jesus is to know the Father. In Jesus, we see the face of God, a face of mercy and tenderness.” St. John Paul II, in his encyclical on the Holy Spirit, wrote that “the mission of the Church is to continue the work of Christ, who came to reveal the Father’s love.”

For us today, the message is both a challenge and a comfort. When we share our faith and are rejected—by family, by colleagues, by a skeptical world—we are not to be discouraged. We are to turn with joy to those who are ready to hear. And we are to ask in Jesus’ name: for courage, for wisdom, for love. He promises to answer, so that the Father may be glorified.

This Easter season, let us pray for the boldness of Paul and Barnabas. Let us see the Father in the Son. And let us ask in Jesus’ name for the grace to do the works He has prepared for us, bringing joy and the Holy Spirit wherever we go. Amen.

May God bless you all!