I will come back again and take you to myself

SUNDAY 10 MAY (Jn 14,1-12)

Love is inclusive. Sin is exclusive. Love unites. Sin divides. Love makes the other person become a part of oneself. Sin separates, divides, distances and does not even recognize whoever has become part of himself. God loves the man of eternal love. His is an inclusive love. The Father wants every man to become part of himself. This admirable unity is created in Christ Jesus. By the work of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism we become the body of Christ, we are made partakers of the divine nature. Having become one body, as one body we must live, act and operate. As the one body we must always, with the love and proclamation of Christ, call every man to become the body of Christ. To include in God, through his body, Jesus loved, by giving his Father his life for our redemption. The Christian loves if he forms the body of Christ. He also loves by giving his life to Christ, so that every other man can become the body of Christ. If one does not include into the body of Christ, our love is sterile, vain, untrue and non-existent.

Paul has consumed his entire life to include every man into the body of Christ: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me. For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily, and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ. You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead (in) transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross; despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them, leading them away in triumph by it” (Col 1,23-2,15). This mystery of unity does not dissolve with death. It remains forever, provided that at the moment of death we will be found in this mystery and not outside, because of our sins.

“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. Where (I) am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.

That is why Jesus precedes his disciples in heaven. He goes to prepare a place. Then he will come back, he will come and, at the moment of death, he will take us where He is, to be eternally the body of his body and the life of his life. Today on earth we want to live in sin, separated from Christ, without even knowing Christ. Never might we be with Him tomorrow.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints make us one with Christ today to be one tomorrow.