Wayfinding

In 2010, a father (Martin Sheen) and son (Emilio Estevez) starred in a movie about a father and son. EntitledThe Way, it was filmed on the Way of St James, a stretch of hundreds of miles. Having a myriad of potential beginning points, each of the “ways” end at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in northwestern Spain.

The “French” way begins in France and takes pilgrims across northern Spain. Each year, over 100,000 pilgrims make this 500-mile journey in search of peace and meaning in their lives. Following the movie’s release, Sheen provided his own insights…

Each step is a prayer when you’re out there, but the real pilgrimage begins on the inside, where you begin to let go of all the things you’ve been holding on to in the dungeon of your heart… You begin to let go of that one thing you couldn’t forgive… You begin to stop being judgmental, and envious, and angry, and selfish, and resentful… And in doing so, you begin to see that all the dark parts of your spirit begin to be released.

If we really think about it, the Way has always been about Jesus; after all, He is the Alpha and Omega! (see Rev 1:8)

Across the Old Testament, many of God’s Holy Prophets prophesied about Him. The great prophet, Isaiah (7:14), predicted that He would be born of a Virgin and that He would be called Immanuel; that is, “God is with us.” The Three Kings (Mt 2:1-2) traveled far to see Him. And when Jesus began His public ministry, there were the calls (Mk 1:16-20) made to His first disciples: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And, “they abandoned their nets and followed Him!” One of my favorite Gospel stories is of the tax collector, Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), who made his way to the path Jesus would be walking down and cleverly positioned himself on the branch of a tree so he could see Jesus. If we remember, upon seeing him, Jesus called him by name and told him that “today I must stay at your house.”

It is true that Jesus is the Way because He came for you and me; to redeem (see Titus 2:14) and continually approach us the way He did the blind man at the Pool of Siloam (John 9) who He instructed to “Go wash.”

Throughout Holy Week, our senses are overwhelmed by powerful liturgies. The words and smells and liturgical colors tell us that something special is unfolding. On Holy Thursday, when we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, my mind always turns to a painting that has captivated the faithful for more than 500 years: Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper.

Have you ever noticed that in his painting Jesus and His disciples are on one side of the table while the other side is empty? There is a story that someone once asked da Vinci, “Why is that?” And his answer? “So that there may be plenty of room for us to join them.”  

On Holy Thursday, isn’t that what we are called to do? To remember that first Holy Mass. To remember that it is there Jesus instituted the ministerial priesthood. To give thanks for our beloved priests who’ve accepted the call to priesthood. And, of course, to give thanks to Jesus when, at every Mass, we receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion.

In the Gospel for Holy Thursday (John 13:1-15), Jesus does something that confounds His disciples: He washes their feet. And then, He asks them, 

Do you realize what I have done for you?

By doing so, Jesus shows them that His Way is very different than the way of the world. As such, for we modern disciples, He invites us…

1) To humble service toward one another. 

2) To practice sacrificial and self-giving love.

3) To, as the deacon instructs at the end of Holy Mass, “…Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”

One priest has wisely remarked:

If we truly want to let Jesus do His thing on earth through us, we need to open our hearts—and follow Him.

For He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6) And His Way leads to eternal happiness and everlasting joy!