Whoever Has Seen Me Has Seen the Father
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 14:9
Jesus said to him, ‘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”?’
Grace Prayed For
Lord, keep turning our eyes back to you when we construct gods of our own making — gods of anger, indifference, or demand. You are the image of the invisible God.
Reflection
Philip’s request is ancient and perpetual: Show us the Father, and that will be enough for us. We want to see God directly — unmediated, unambiguous, unmistakable. It is the most understandable spiritual hunger there is.
Jesus’s response carries a note of tender exasperation: Philip, you have been watching me. You have seen me welcome the outcast and challenge the powerful. You have seen me weep at Lazarus’s tomb. You have seen me feed thousands with almost nothing and forgive those who have done the unforgivable. You have seen me touch lepers and wash feet. In all of this, you have been seeing the Father.
This is the Incarnation’s radical claim: the invisible God has made himself visible, not as a burning bush or a pillar of cloud, but as a human being who got tired and hungry and moved with compassion. The character of God is displayed in the character of Jesus.
For those of us who have struggled with the God of certain readings of the Old Testament — the God who seems distant, punitive, or arbitrary — this verse is corrective and liberating. The measure of God is Christ. Where Jesus and an image of God seem to contradict each other, it is the image that must yield.
And what Jesus shows us of the Father is this: a God who seeks the lost, who heals the broken, who refuses to abandon even those who have abandoned him, who meets human need with overflowing generosity, who weeps at our weeping.
Have you seen Jesus? Then you have seen the Father. Let that be enough to begin.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post