4th Week of Easter
I am going to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)
A teenage girl who was the youngest of eight children had waited for years to have a room of her own. For her sixteenth birthday, her busy mom secretly sewed a beautiful comforter with matching curtains. When the girl arrived home from school on her birthday, she discovered her new room decorated in yellow and pink, her favorite colors. It was a place prepared just for her!
Today’s Gospel reading is typically used for funeral liturgies. Jesus has ascended to heaven and is preparing a place for us when we pass from this life to the next. But there’s more to this promise than the guarantee of a heavenly home. Jesus is also telling his disciples that he has prepared a place for each of them on earth, in his kingdom, as it breaks out all around them.
Jesus has prepared a place for you—here and now—as well. Just as that mother decorated a place for her daughter, Jesus has fashioned a niche all your own where you can flourish and thrive. It’s a spot uniquely suited to your personality, gifts, and abilities. It’s the place where you can become an effective coworker with him in building his Father’s kingdom.
So where is this place? Take a moment to consider where it may be at this time in your life. Whether it’s in your parish or in your workplace or at home with your children, you can rest assured that it has been tailor-made just for you. It’s the place where you can best radiate God’s love and mercy to the people around you.
Believe too that in your special place, Jesus is there with you, working in you and alongside you. His constant presence can sustain you, even when you face obstacles and hardships. It can give you wisdom and insight to help you fulfill your calling. It can give you energy and hope when you feel depleted. And best of all, Jesus’ presence can fill you with joy as you await the time when you inherit that special place he has prepared for you in heaven!
“Jesus, thank you for the place you have fashioned for me here on earth—and for the place you are preparing for me in heaven.”
Acts 13:26-33
Psalm 2:6-11
