THE UNIVERSAL LONGING FOR HOME: FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – A | May 03, 2026

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – A | May 03, 2026

Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1 Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12

THE UNIVERSAL LONGING FOR HOME

We can know peace because we are at home, where we belong. And we find real peace where we are in God and God is in us, no matter what happens. St. Augustine famously wrote, “God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks directly to that restlessness. Jesus is preparing to leave His disciples, and they are terrified. They feel the foundations of their world shifting. To their anxiety, Jesus offers one of the most comforting images in Scripture: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.”  When Jesus says, “I am going to prepare a place for you,” He is not just referring to a physical location in the clouds.  Jesus is telling Thomas, Philip, and us that the ultimate “home” is not a location, but a relationship. To be “at home” and find rest is “to be in Christ.”

If the Gospel tells us where we are going, the Second Reading from 1 Peter tells us who we are while we are on the journey. Peter uses the image of “living stones.” The Apostle Peter continues by saying that all of us as Christians are a chosen race, a community of priest-kings, a consecrated nation, and a people that God has made His own to proclaim His wonders. What St. Peter told all the faithful in this passage is a reminder for us all that through our baptism, in which we have become part of the Church of God, entering into this one community of believers and the faithful in the Lord, we have been sanctified and consecrated, marked with the very mark of the Living God, and all of us have entered into the New and Eternal Covenant that God has established with us through the works and sacrifice that His own beloved Son, Our Risen Lord, had done on the Cross. We have been called and brought into a new existence through Christ, a new life and existence that is full of God’s grace and free from sins. Therefore, each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy people, all of us are called to live our lives well and worthily as Christians should be, in doing the will of God and in obeying His Law and commandments. Moreover, we are called to participate and contribute with our efforts and in our various possibilities in the building up of the Body of Christ, the Church here on the earth.

The First reading shows how differences and disputes were resolved in the church’s early days. The Hellenist (converts whose language was Greek) complained that their widows were not getting a fair share of the church’s social services. The apostles’ solution to the problem shows how changes of practice are not only possible but necessary for the health of the church.

The solution shows two important dimensions of church life: prayer and service, and that living our Christian vocation requires a balance between the two. Each of us is personally called to prayer, to a dialogue of worship with God, and we are also called to service. No matter what we do in life, our work affects others in some way. We should be of service to our neighbours, and provided we have an attitude of respect, no task we do is a menial task. Prayer and preaching the Word were of primary importance to the apostles; but service to the widows and the needy in the community was also vital, so they appointed seven trusted men to attend to it, and initiated them by an evocative ceremony.

This is the birth of the diaconate, but it’s also a lesson for all of us. Finding our “place” in the Father’s house involves finding our place of service. The “Way” of Jesus is always a way of foot-washing. We find our home not by being served, but by creating a home for others: the poor, the lonely, and the neglected.

As a result, the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased. We may wonder how this kind of growth in the church could be revived in our day. Is the word of the Lord still spreading, or is the number of disciples increasing?

The Church, brothers and sisters, is envisioned as a spiritual temple, a spiritual home, with ourselves as living stones that make up a living house of God. Every time we say the Lord’s Prayer, we say ‘thy kingdom come.’ This implies taking some responsibility for spreading the Word and doing something to build up the church. We can work for God’s kingdom through our daily conduct and attitudes.

The cornerstone of the Church is Christ Himself, and he encourages us even today. If he is going away, it is to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house, which has many rooms. So, there is a place for us all in the kingdom. Each person has gifts of nature and grace; each should have a say in church life, as exemplified by the apostles in the first reading.

Dear friends, today, Jesus stands at the door of our restless hearts and says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”  Whatever journey you are on, whether you feel like you are wandering in a desert or sitting in the pews feeling lost or discouraged, remember this: You have a place. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people of God's own possession.

The Way is open. The Truth is a person. The Life is eternal. Let us walk that way together, as living stones, until we all find our rest in the Father’s house. Amen.

 By Br. Joe, Sdb -  P'tite Light