In the gospel for this weekend’s Masses, we hear Jesus make a remarkable promise to his disciples, and to all of us. He tells us, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places, if there were not, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” And Jesus goes further: “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.”
The message of Jesus is that we are created to be with God, and the plan of Jesus is to get all of us to be with God, living forever in the Father’s House. It is not a random happening that we were created, we were created to be part of God’s family. We are created to live out the message of Jesus, to love God and one another, and in this way make our path to the Father’s House one that makes sense.
In this Easter season, may we appreciate even more the opportunity we have in celebrating Eucharist to join all those who have gone before us, in what the Church calls the “Communion of Saints”. When we celebrate Eucharist, we are closest to Jesus, our Risen Savior, and so closest to all who are with Him forever. All those who have been welcomed into the Father’s House join with us when we celebrate Jesus offering Himself again each time we celebrate Eucharist together. There is a reason you may feel closer to those in your life who have gone before us when we are here in church, celebrating Eucharist. They are truly here as well, living still in the Father’s House, living here in our glimpse of the heavenly banquet.
May we all continue to rejoice in the Easter truth that death is not the end, but death is overcome, and it is Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, who will welcome each of us into life forever with Him.