Gospel Reflection May 3 – Deacon Paul Zemanek
Sunday, May 3
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:
Today, Jesus was speaking to his disciples during the Last Supper, preparing them for His departure. Jesus emphasized the importance of trust in God and in Himself, offering the promise of eternal life and highlighting the unity between Him and the Father.
Jesus urged His disciples to let go of their anxiety for He understands that our worries can cloud our hearts, making it difficult to trust and believe. In our lives, we encounter many things that try to steal our joy – sickness, financial struggles, personal relationships, and doubts about the future. Jesus invites us to cast those burdens onto Him, reminding us that we are not alone.
This is exactly what we need to hear when we are living in heart-troubling times, when we have lost our way, and when it feels like life and the world are collapsing in on us. It’s what Thomas and the others were experiencing.
What troubles your heart today? In what ways have you lost your center? What is causing you to feel like you’ve lost your way? What place in life do you need to get to?
As Jesus was calming the disciples troubled hearts today: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” Living eternally with our Father in heaven is our destination. Jesus is the Way. He is the Roadmap to the Father!!
Deacon Paul Zemanek