Today is May 16, Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter.
We read at today’s Mass, “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be'” (Jn 14:1-3).
In the Easter season, these words from the Last Supper come alive in a unique way. Having just relived the mysteries of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection through the sacred liturgies of Holy Week, we now revisit his words with renewed clarity and wonder. We see that everything Jesus said, he fulfilled — and these promises are still being fulfilled in our lives today.
The promise of Jesus
There are three beautiful truths in today’s Gospel that I invite you to meditate on.
First, Jesus reminds us of the ultimate goal of our life: to be with him forever. In a world filled with anxiety, distraction and confusion, many people wonder what life is truly about. For us as Catholics, the answer is astonishingly simple: life is about getting to heaven. That is our destination. That is the reason for everything we do — because we want to dwell forever with the one who loves us.
Second, Jesus doesn’t just point the way — he accompanies us. Although he has ascended to the Father, he has not left us alone. He has given us the Church — filled with the grace of the sacraments, the beauty of sacred teaching and the companionship of the Christian community. The Church is our guide and our help along the journey to the Father’s house.
And third, there is something truly profound in Jesus’ words: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” This isn’t just a description of heaven. It’s also a deep insight into how we live with God even now. Through baptism, through the Eucharist, through all the sacraments, our hearts become dwelling places of the Most High. We become temples of the Holy Spirit. The Father’s house is not merely our final home — it is also the reality we begin to experience here and now when God dwells within us.
This promise of Jesus — that we are not alone, that we belong, that we have a place — brings immeasurable comfort. All the rest and joy we long for will be ours, because Christ has already gone ahead to prepare it for us.
Let us pray,
O God, author of our freedom and of our salvation, listen to the voice of our pleading and grant that those you have redeemed by the shedding of your Son’s Blood may have life through you and, under your protection, rejoice for ever unharmed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
