In My Father’s House

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” John 14:2

I like mining the Bible for the gold of God’s promises. One of the most reassuring are the verses in John chapter 6. “Let not your heart be troubled...In My Father’s house are many dwelling places...I go to prepare a place for you.” Who better to prepare a place for us in heaven than THE way, THE truth and THE life? Jesus assures us that as long as we place our faith, our hope, and our trust in Him, we have a place reserved just for us! 

The same goes for those who have gone on before us. I like telling the story of God’s faithfulness to me when my mom died. I thought I would be devastated when she left us. We were always together because from the time we went to daily mass at 6 am, then a visit to the Adoration Chapel, then went to the office together, we never ran out of things to talk about. My mom didn’t really want to go to Europe for a month, but she did it for me because she knew it was my dream. When my mom saw me crying because God had asked me to go to QC Jail and I did not want to, she promised to go with me if no one else would accompany me. She was not only my mother, she was my best friend. So when my mom got cancer, and it was getting worse, I knew I would have to let her go and we each had to tell her we would be all right. Never would I have imagined that the day my mother died God would give me the amazing grace of being ecstatic that at last, she would be with our Father who loves her best. 

There is so much heartbreak these days. We have never experienced so many deaths of people we know, people our children know. We can take comfort in Jesus’ reassurances, “Where I am you may also be.” We should always remember the truth that we are all pilgrims on a journey. Earth is merely a way station, a stop over, a terminal. We should not have too much baggage! Jesus did everything here on earth so that one day we can be with Him. Where He is, is the best place to be! But we can always carve out a space and time in the here and now to be with Jesus. Many things can distract us, but there is one certainty we can depend on. We are loved, we are precious, and neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39). 

Lord, thank You for showing us the way. Thank You that we have a special place with You! Thank You that one day we will all be together again with the people we love and miss!