Within

Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” John 14:8-17 

When we lived in Sitka, Alaska, several of the stores sold Matryoshka dolls - nesting dolls - along with other traditional Russian goods. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral was in the center of town which everything else revolved around. As a child I always wanted one of these dolls and while there purchased several for friends and family. I have always been fascinated by them and the hidden story and personalities they can reveal. It is like our fascination with having our DNA analyzed these days, to reveal what might have been hidden from us, and the people who make us who we are.

Jesus responds to Philip's request with concern. Jesus knew who he himself was and that God was within him. He was taken aback that Philip and the other disciples could not see what was essential to his substance, to his entire being. Jesus wanted his disciples to know the real, close proximity to God which they all had and that we share now. God is not far off from us but within us, made part of our DNA at baptism.

Today, I ask God to help me live as one who knows the substance of presence of God in my being. May we, like the disciples, be so nested in Christ, that we can reveal the love of God wherever we go.