Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father´s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, 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, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 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 say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
Introductory Prayer:Lord, your Easter greeting of peace continues to resound in my heart banishing all that could trouble me. May this peace make it possible for me to take sure steps as you lead me through life’s journey to the heavenly Father. Mark the way for me in this meditation so that I may leave this moment of prayer on sure footing while following in your footsteps.
Petition: Lord Jesus, may I come to know all your love.
1. A Place for You. Jesus spoke often of his Father. He told us that this Father is also our father. He told us that this Father is in heaven. He spoke about this Father’s love and forgiving mercy. He compared him to the type of kind father we may know on this earth who knows how to give good things to his children. Then, he informs us that in this Father’s house there are many dwellings and our ears perk up! And, yes, he indeed is going to prepare a place for us. A place where we will be with this Father, a place that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Anyone who has ever loved understands that to be near their one loved is all that matters. And so Christ goes to prepare a place for us to be with him and with his heavenly Father. As Psalm 62 proclaims, “for your love is better than life!” In Psalm 73 we read, “There is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever… for me it is good to be near God. Lord, Jesus, may I understand that detachment from this world is necessary in order to enjoy your infinite love, a love better than life itself! May I always long for this place that you have gone to prepare for me.
2. A Map for You. Jesus is the map! “I am the way,” he said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus Christ has handed us the map to the place where we will be with him and the Father forever. Jesus Christ is the map to happiness. When you are in him, you know you are on your way. Just as when you know that you are following a map, you are on course and this makes you glad, so when you are on course in Christ you are filled with gladness. If we are deviating from this course and seeking our consolation in others, then we are going to find that we are losing our way.
3. A Heart for You. The farewell discourse from which today’s Gospel is taken, is an incomparable account of the depths of love contained in the heart of Christ. These lines from the Gospel sustain at length the dialogue that Christ continues to have with the souls he loves. We are with him. We are listening to him. We come to know that this heart is for us and bears the love of the Father. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Where have we seen the Father? In Christ’s love we have seen him; in his heart; in the stories that come from this heart; in his sacrifices; in his words; in his service; in his cures; in his tireless self-offering; in his teachings – in all of these we have an epiphany of the Father’s love.
Dialogue with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, help me to comprehend all the manifestations of your love for me. Is there anything that you could have done for me that you have not done? Your every act is an act of love for me. All you do is love. Help me to recognize this both at the times that this is easy and at the times that it is more difficult. Thank you for this moment with you. If it be your will, let us continue this conversation as much as possible throughout the day.
Resolution: Read Psalm 62, 73, or a psalm of your choosing.
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