Have faith in God, and have faith in me
In today's gospel we hear Jesus' consoling words 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."
We are troubled by so many things. Sometimes in the midst of our troubles the thought of eternal happiness in the kingdom of God is little consolation. Although we believe that such bliss surpasses every kind of trouble, yet that belief may not be deeply felt. We would rather hope perhaps that eternity is still far; we do not feel quite ready to go there yet.
Jesus does not console us by his words alone, but primarily by his example. No matter what our troubles may be, they are unlikely to compare with what Jesus faced at the time when he uttered these words, drawn from his farewell speeches in the gospel according to John. He was facing an ignoble and impending death, not from any illness but by prolonged torture, and he knew exactly what awaited him. It is precisely because he had talked about this death that his disciples were troubled. Yet Jesus put aside his own troubles and thought only of consoling his friends. He looked beyond the passion he was about to undergo to the joy in his Father's kingdom. He refers to this passion as going away to prepare places for his friends.
We pray that Jesus may instill his Spirit in us, so that we too may face the challenges in our life with selfless love and undaunted hope, and that we may in turn be channels of his love and hope to the people we meet.
