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."
Today's gospel begins with the word we never tire of hearing, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." Like the cross, it's a peculiar kind of assurance since it means, "There is trouble" and "Don't be afraid."
Yes, we have found some authority over our fears. Facing threats we can rise with courage and we often do. We might be momentarily paralyzed but it passes.
The Gospel of Saint John is profoundly aware of Jesus' going away. We are living by faith and not by sight. Even by the time of this gospel's writing, very few surviving souls had seen the Risen Lord. The eyewitnesses were gone. The Church consisted of those who had not seen but believed.
Without the sight of the Risen Lord they had to rely on the Spirit that sustained them. Incredibly, it did! Facing ostracism, contempt, and harassment they persisted in their worship of Jesus and their care for one another. Despite the opposition of family, neighbors and former friends, which must have taken many insidious forms, they clung to faith.
When enough time had passed they realized, we're not operating on sheer will power or obtuse stubbornness; the Lord is with us! Just as he was with his disciples before his crucifixion, he is alive among us today. And more so! Before his death, the disciples of Jesus saw only the man; we know the Lord.
That community clung also to the promises, "I will come back and take you to myself."
Jesus has gone to the Father but that the Lord might abandon us is inconceivable. God did not go to all that trouble of passion, death and resurrection to let us rot in our graves like moldering tree stumps. He has raised us up despite our enemies -- even in the face of our enemies -- he will not let them have the last word. We are going where the Lord and his saints have already arrived.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.