Ideas for a Homily.
John 14:1-12 New International Version
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”
Summary of the Reading
- The Gospel reading for tomorrow is from John 14, where Jesus speaks to his disciples on the night of his betrayal.
- Jesus assures his disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house and that they will follow him there.
- Thomas questions how they can follow Jesus if they do not know where he is going or how to get there.
- Jesus reveals that he is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him.
- Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus replies that whoever has seen him has seen the Father, because he and the Father are one.
- Jesus also promises that whoever believes in him will do greater works than he has done, because he is going to the Father.
- Jesus emphasizes the intimate connection between himself and his Father, and invites his disciples to share in that relationship through faith in him.
- Jesus’ name reveals his identity as the “I am,” the divine name that God revealed to Moses.
- The Gospel continues with Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who will teach and guide the disciples after Jesus’ departure.
Mansions
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you.”
- The verse is part of Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciples before his death and resurrection.
- He assures them that he is going to the Father’s house, which is heaven, where there are many places for them to dwell.
- He also promises to come back and take them to be with him forever.
- The word μονή (monē) means “dwelling place”, “abode”, or “room”. It is related to the verb μένω (menō), which means “to remain”, “to abide”, or “to stay”.
- The word implies a permanent and intimate relationship with God and Christ, not just a temporary lodging.
- Some translations use the word “mansions” or “rooms”, but these may suggest a physical or spatial division that is not intended by the original word.
- The Father’s house is not limited by human dimensions or categories but is spacious enough to accommodate all who belong to him.
Holy Spirit
The Paraclete is a term that refers to the Holy Spirit in Christianity. It comes from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklētos), which means “one who is called alongside” or “one who comforts, consoles, or advocates”. The Paraclete is also known as the Spirit of Truth, the Advocate, the Counselor, or the Helper. The Paraclete is the third person of the Trinity, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and who guides, teaches, and empowers the followers of Jesus Christ.