SPIRIT AND TRUTH
SPIRIT AND TRUTH
Homily for the Anniversary of the Dedication
of the Cathedral of San Roque,
12 Dec 2023, Jn 4, 19-26
What did Jesus mean when he said in v.23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.”?
We can only answer this question by going back to the very start of the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman by the well. (Humihingi lang siya ng tubig na maiinom, ang daming sinabi ng babae; bat daw siya kinakausap gayong Samaritana siya. In v.10 Jesus answered and said, “If you only knew the GIFT of God and WHO is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
Jesus is talking about two things: first, the GIFT of God and secondly, the IDENTITY of the one asking for water—namely, himself. How are these two things related to “worshipping in spirit and truth?” The SPIRIT is the gift of God whom Jesus describes as “the living water”; and secondly, the TRUTH has to do with the identity of Jesus, the one who is asking for water. That he is the Messiah, the one through whom God’s gift of the Spirit will be poured out on the world like a living water.
These are timely reminders especially on this day that we are celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of this cathedral Church of San Roque. True worship is not about a place but rather a disposition to receive the gift of all gifts—the Spirit, who will make it possible for us to be reborn, to be renewed, and to live a new humanity in Christ, as members of his body the Church. Only Christ can reveal to us the truth, namely, “everything about ourselves”, about our call to participate in his mission—to be mediators of the true covenant, the permanent bridge or connection between God and humankind.
In Genesis 28, we hear about Jacob resting his head on a stone, falling asleep and having a dream. How in that dream he saw a stairway, or
