May 10 2020 Reflection

Sunday 10 May 2020

First Reading: ACTS 6:1-7
Responsorial Psalm:
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
Second Reading: 1 PT 2:4-9
Gospel Reading: JN 14:1-12

Today’s Note: Fifth Sunday of Easter

Gospel Reading:

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.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
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’?
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.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
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.”

Reflection:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. (John 14:1) 

Not troubled? That’s hard to imagine! Jesus had just predicted that Judas would betray him and Peter would deny him. He had just told the disciples that he would be with them “only a little while longer” (John 13:33). Something really big was about to happen. Of course the disciples were shaken up! Anyone would be upset and anxious.

Be at peace, Jesus said. Don’t be afraid. It’s the most common command in the Gospels. Much of the time, Jesus says it when the disciples catch a glimpse of his glory. Think about his Transfiguration, or when he walked on water. But this time, Jesus reassures them because he is leaving. You are used to having me walk with you in one way, he seemed to be saying, but once I’m gone, I’ll be with you in a new way. I will never leave you, even if you have a hard time finding me the way you used to.

Jesus wanted his friends to know that even though he would not be with them in bodily form, he wasn’t really leaving them alone. He would be with them through the Holy Spirit living inside them. He would be with them in his Eucharistic presence. He would be present in their brothers and sisters in the faith. They just needed to learn to see him in a different way. 

Like the disciples, we experience change in our lives—change that might make us wonder if Jesus is still with us. The things we are accustomed to can get disrupted. Our youngest child moves out of the house and goes off to college. The main breadwinner in the family loses their job, and we have to relocate to a new city. But Jesus hasn’t left us alone during these times. He wants to give us eyes to see him in every situation. 

So take his words to heart: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me (John 14:1).

“Jesus, help me trust that you are with me always. Lord, come and calm all my fears.”