Friday, Fourth Week of Easter

Many of us will be familiar with this gospel reading from funeral Masses at which we will have been present. The image of eternal life as the many roomed house or home of God the Father to which Jesus will bring us when he comes to us at death is a very reassuring one. Yet, as we listen to what Jesus goes on to say in this gospel of John it is clear that we don’t have to wait until after death to be at home with Jesus in God’s house. Jesus will go on to invite his disciples, all of us, to make our home in him now, as he makes his home in us. He says this in the context of speaking of himself as the vine and his disciples as the branches. He invites us to remain, to make our home, in his love just as he makes his home in God the Father’s love.  Through our faith in Jesus, we can begin to enjoy in the here and now something of that intimate communion with Jesus and God the Father that is our ultimate destiny. Jesus’ image of the vine and the branches speaks powerfully of the communion between the Lord and ourselves. Jesus doesn’t say, ‘I am the vine and you must become the branches’ but ‘I am the vine and you are the branches’. The Lord has taken the initiative to be in communion with us. He has made his home among us and within us. Our task is to keep remaining in the communion the Lord has formed with us. There are many dwelling places in the Lord’s heart for us all. There is a place there for each one of us. The Lord is always drawing us to that place, to his heart. In this gospel of John, he goes on to say, ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself’. We just have to let ourselves be drawn by him, keep responding to the drawing power of his love.