This weekend is the Fifth Sunday of Easter and the Gospels retell Jesus telling His disciples at the Last Supper, “Do not be troubled.” Although Jesus was about to die, He still desired them to trust in Him, the absolutely trustworthy Son of God. Jesus also told them He would go to the Father’s home to prepare rooms for them and one day bring them to the glory of the Father. All earthly temples are merely reflections of the Presence of God, but Jesus transformed His Body into the new Temple after His Resurrection, the only path to God. His disciples originally did not understand this, so Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Unless we live by Jesus’ teachings, we cannot reach the Father; unless we enter into the Word made flesh, we cannot understand the teachings of God; and unless we are led to the Kingdom of Heaven by Jesus, we cannot attain new life. Jesus is the narrow gate, the only intercessor between God and man. The Gospel of John 14:1-7 is often used in funeral Masses because it reassures us that Jesus will return to Earth and is even now preparing rooms for us in Heaven, our true home. Moses and Philip yearned to see the Father, but Jesus says that whoever sees Him has already seen the Father. He said that if the apostles followed Him, they would perform even greater deeds than He performed on earth, because He would send them the Holy Spirit and together with His glorified humanity, they would work miracles together to save the world.
「Spiritual Talk」Fifth Sunday of Easter – Fr. Anthony Ho
