“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places…”
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death and resurrection. He is attempting to broaden their vision that they might look beyond the limits of this life and this world and find in things eternal a hope that endures forever.
It is for this reason that so often these first 6 verses of this Gospel are read at funerals. Jesus reminds us that his deep longing to be with us always extends so far that he is preparing for us an eternal home where we will be found with God forever.
This is an incredible message of hope for us as we live in the midst of this world. It is filled with hope not only for ourselves, but for those whom we love, especially those we still love but see no longer in the life of this world.
How fitting this is as in our own nation we keep this Sunday as Mother’s Day. We remember mothers who have raised us by faith for life both in this life and in the Kingdom of God. We remember them today not as dead persons. We recall today that they are alive and are with Christ, and that nothing shall separate them from the love of Christ, that nothing shall separate us from the love that binds us in relationships with them that continue on in the holy hope that we shall one day see them and live with them again.
It is for this reason, then, that in the midst of a world so troubled by suffering and death, we can indeed “not let our hearts be troubled” as we keep our eyes focused on Christ, remembering the things eternal that shall not pass away, that even now Christ has given us in perfect love.
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