Gospel Reflection May 10 – Msgr. Hendricks
Sunday, May 10
Fifth Sunday of Easter
John 14: 1 – 12
Gospel:
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.”
Gospel Reflection:
This familiar gospel of John is often used at funeral Masses to give hope and share the promise that the Risen Lord will have a place for us in His Father’s House. At the same time, the gospel asks us to realize that the Father and Jesus are one, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
What is happening here is that Jesus is reassuring us of our place and His. He is one with the Father and because of that he longs to return to the Father. And as he goes for us who believe in Him, we are to do the works that He did and “will do greater ones than these,” because of our faith and the Spirit that he has given.
As we enter into ever increasing developments and as we adjust to and find creative ways to deal with COVID-19, I am reminded of those who suffer so much, with poverty, unemployment, sickness, anxiety, and no place to live, those who have no food, no funds, no hope. Perhaps it is for these that we do the “greater things”that the gospel tells us about today.
This gospel on the Fifth Sunday of Easter is for us, and know that a “dwelling place” has been prepared for us each of us as promised.
-Monsignor Hendricks