Our home is where our hearts should be

Fifth Sunday of Easter Year A

Gospel – John 14:1-12
1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
2 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?
3 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.
4 Where I am going you know the way.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
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’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.
12 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Home is Where the Heart Should Be

This Gospel reading is part of Jesus’ long farewell discourse to his disciples on the night before He died; flashback of what had happened. The context was the last supper, an event before His arrest. The disciples were greatly distressed and saddened by His impending departure. Today, many died without their families beside them-to be able to say their parting words. So sad. Jesus assured them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, have faith in God, have faith also in me.” One question to ask ourselves, what makes your heart troubled right now? Our fears, worries, problems, lack of security, health issues, the pandemic, future, our dues, losing our loved ones, etc.

Story: There was a young monk who goes up the attic of the old monastery to pray before the old crucifix every morning. He said to Jesus; “Lord I am sometimes worried if you really know what is going on in the world right now. When I see you on the cross, alone, wounded, dying, I am not sure if You hear me while I pray, I cannot even hear you speak. Jesus, tell me what shall I do?” Out of the blue, as the young monk closes his eyes after a brief pause, he heard Jesus speak; “My son, do you know that after you visit me early every morning, and go down to prepare the breakfast for your brothers and spare some food for the homeless who wait for you outside the kitchen, it’s enough for me and I am pleased because it’s no longer you who feed them, but it’s the love you show to be done in a concrete way that they see me in you.” And the young monk cried and said; “Jesus, thank you for letting me know that the worries, pains, troubles, and problems of this world are also yours and you came to save us.”

Jesus knows His disciples who have been too anxious to the point of losing their faith in Him and the meaning of life itself. Life without faith is empty and meaningless. We hope that during this crisis when our life is being tried and tested, weakened, and disturbed, we become more faithful and persevering. We know that in the moment of great pain and tragedy we might shout to God; “Why have you abandoned me?” Jesus will test our faith in Him. Leaving them is not actually abandonment, as long as they have faith in God to whom Jesus will return, He can prepare a place for them. If they know where Jesus is going, it will bring them comfort and consolation- a grand and beautiful reality that they will look forward to in the future. And once He comes back and takes them with Him, a reunion in eternity will follow forever.

Philip must not have fully grasped everything when he asked; “Master, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way? Jesus in response, pointing to Himself, declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This profound claim directed the apostles to trust Jesus as the sole mediator to the Father while they are still on earth. They have to share with Jesus the mission whose goal and destination is towards the Father. Jesus, as united with His Father, teaches them that the Father is already with them as they are guided by Jesus. This is what we call mutual indwelling; “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” This is why to be with Jesus is to be with the Father, to know Jesus is to know the Father and to live in Jesus is to live in the Father.

Jesus assures us that while we believe in God the Father, to believe in Him is the same. In truth, we can see the Father in Jesus and the have our faith in God presupposes our faith in Jesus. “You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”
This is the challenge. Let us ask ourselves whether we have already and truly put our faith totally and unconditionally in Jesus, as the Way, Truth, and Life.

Life on earth is a constant journey, a process of being, becoming, and belonging. Do we find ourselves growing in authentic progress in our relationship with Jesus knowing that He waits for us in heaven? What do you expect when Jesus meets us there in heaven? “Come, my child and inherit the room I prepared for you” Start now, when we feed the hungry, visit the sick and imprisoned when we clothed the naked and other corporal works of mercy.

"I am the truth" means:
"What can you know? You can know everything, if only you know Me.
"Knowing me, more and more every day, you know the secret behind the workings of the whole universe and the deepest yearnings of the human heart, because I made them both.
I am the eternal Word, the very Wisdom of God."
Our Homiletics professor in Theology would say, read the Bible and the newspaper when you prepare your homilies. But be critical, there is so much fake, unreliable news nowadays.
ABS CBN the major news outlet in the Philippines stopped its operation because the franchise was not renewed. Filipinos in America and other places will miss the TFCs, news, and entertainment. But it does not mean we will lose sight of the real news or truths. Jesus has the fullness of truth.

"I am the life" means:
"What can you hope for? In me, through me, you can hope for the fullness of life that you long for in the very depths of your soul.
"You can hope for your very own room in my Father's house, in heaven - I have gone to prepare it for you.
"In my Father's house all sorrows turn to joy, all weakness turns to strength, and life grows more alive as eternity unfolds.

Christ is truly the living water that quenches every thirst.
He is truly the light that scatters every type of darkness.
The quest of every man and woman to satisfy the heart's deepest needs is the quest to seek his face.

As St Augustine famously wrote, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in God."
How is your life today? Okay, I am still blessed.
Is there life in your homes? Some would sulk into depression, anger, frustrations, impatience. When we wake up in the morning, what do you do? Another day to face, what shall I eat, where should I go? Who will call me? Will I watch the news? Our days become monotonous, routine, lifeless at times in our homes. But remember we continue to be life-givers. Jesus gives us the fountain of life, His Word says, everything will pass away, but not a single word that comes out from My mouth will pass away. Where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:63: The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

Many begin to read the Bible nowadays. Some of us even send Bible verses and share reflections to boost our morale and be inspired. Yes, we are free to do so, but let us not base it on our personal preferences and take these words out of context. Be mindful of the needs of your brothers and sister. Just a friendly reminder.
Should heaven start in our homes?

Right now, some homes are becoming of hell. We hear domestic abuses. A drunkard husband in the home abuses his authority. Will we expect more divorces and separations after the COVid19? Yes, children need their parents to teach them even they are in home-schooling. But what if the parents are ill-equipped. How about our entertainment in our homes which we should safeguard at call cost because children are with us.
After almost two months, I become an instant chef. My mom helps me cook popular Filipino dishes. But I need my hair cut soon. Any volunteer? How much?

In today’s Gospel Our Lord describes Heaven not just as His home, but as a place for us to call home as well.
Thinking of home evokes so many warm sentiments–rest, security, peace–and it also invokes the memory of the people there waiting to be with us. Many people today live a difficult situation at home, if they have a home at all, but they all dream of that peaceful place where they can be together with their loved ones.
A simple family dinner, where everyone sets aside work, school, etc., to spend time together becomes a glimpse of Heaven as each enjoys the company and there are no worries to dampen the evening.

Our Lord has prepared a place for each of us with Our Father in Heaven. How often do we dream of that? How often do we dream of the day in which life’s journey, with all the fatigue and trial, will be over and we’ll finally and permanently be home with the ones we love? How often do we see the need to remind others of our true home as well so that one day we’ll all be there together?

Let’s ask Our Lord today to help us always keep our true home in mind. If we know he’s shown us the way, no burden or obstacle of this life will rob us of our hope in getting there.

(some quotes here are credited to E-priest)

These lyrics of the song titled: HOME from THE WIZ would describe what a real home should be:

Suddenly my world's gone and changed its face
But I still know where I'm going
I have had my mind spun around in space
And yet I've watched it growing
If you're listening God, please don't make it hard to go
To know if we should believe the things that we see
Tell us should we try and stay, or should we run away?
Or would it be better just to let things be? Living here in this brand-new world might be a fantasy
But it's taught me to love so it's real to me
And I've learned that we must look inside our hearts to find
A world full of love like yours and mine
Like home.

To all our mothers, have a blessed and peaceful Mothers’ Day. Because you gave us a home, you can find a home in our hearts. Thank you so much.