FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEKK OF EASTER MAY 13, 2022 MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA

MASS READINGS:

A reading of the holy Gospel according to Jn 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”

REFLECTION:

“I am the way and the truth and the life."

Thomas feared that they were going to be lost after Jesus left. They still were grieving and yet future plans seemed to be in the making but Thomas was not sure of "plans" for the advancement of the Kingdom.

Jesus tells Thomas to be calm. All have been through so much--the big betrayal, the death of Our Lord and His Resurrection and now He is talking about leaving. The apostles must have been dazed, confused, unsure as all is happening so fast. Skepticism and doubt play a major factor in making poor decisions. We are so much in the whirlwind of the moment, that hope, even the slightest trace of hope, seems futile and unattainable. The apostles seemed to have lost the way but it is unclear if they knew the way.

Gentleness and reassurance meet St Thomas. God, our Father, sent His Son to be the way and the truth and the life for His children. A place is waiting for us in heaven, and as we look to occupy that place, the way, the truth and the life will bring us home.

“Through Him, our gaze penetrates the heights of heaven and we see, as in a mirror, the most holy face of God. Through Christ, the eyes of our hearts are opened and our weak and clouded understanding, reaches up toward the light.”

Saint Pope Clement I (c 35-99)

God Bless You

Read about Our Lady of Fatima here.