by Fr. Tommy Lane
From time to time we all experience fears, worries, and anxieties. Because we are prone to fear, anxiety, and worry, it is no wonder that several hundred times the Bible advises us not to worry. Why does the Bible keep telling us not to worry? Because our faith is weak and instead of looking at God, too often we look at the problems. If we prayed more, I’m sure we would see God sending us help from somewhere.
In the Gospel today, we heard Jesus preparing his disciples for the time when he would no longer be with them. He said to them,
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. (John 14:1-3)
Philip asked Jesus to be able to see the Father and Jesus responded, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? To have seen me is to have seen the Father.” (John 14:9) If Jesus were to ask that question of us, I think we would all answer that we do know something of Jesus, but we don’t know him very well. That is why we worry. If we knew Jesus better, we would not focus on problems and difficulties but focus on Jesus instead. We could imagine Jesus saying, “Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know me?” Have I been with you all this time in the Mass and sacraments and the Word of God in the Bible and you still do not know me? Have I been with you all this time in the faith of your community and when you pray to me, and you still do not know me? Have I been with you all this time, and when you look back over your life you can see that I sent you help when you needed it, and you still do not know me?
If we had more of Jesus in our lives we would have less fear, worries, and anxieties. We would still have problems; God never promised that we would not have problems. Jesus himself had a big problem; he was sentenced to death as a common criminal. But Jesus rose on the third day and Jesus will help us rise above our difficulties also because as the second reading stated, Jesus is the “living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God.” (1 Pet 2:4) If we try to live without Jesus, life will not go nearly as well as when we have Jesus at the center of our lives. We can overcome problems better with Jesus in our lives than without Jesus. If we turn our backs on Jesus, how can we expect to succeed? Focus on Jesus and not on the problems. When we have problems, turn to Jesus who is always waiting for us.
Sometimes we say, “It’s
impossible.”
But Jesus says in Luke 18:27, “Things that are impossible for men are
possible for God.”
Sometimes we say, “I’m too
tired.”
But Jesus says in Matt 11:28 “Come to me all you who labor and are
overburdened and I will give you rest.”
Sometimes we say, “Nobody
really loves me.”
But in John 3:16 we read that God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son.
Sometimes we say, “I can’t
go on.”
But Jesus told Paul, “My grace is enough for you: for power is at full
stretch in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
Sometimes we say, “I can’t
do it.”
But Paul wrote in Phil 4:13, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens
me.”
Sometimes we say, “I can’t
manage.”
But Paul wrote in Phil 4:19, “God will fulfill all your needs in Christ
Jesus as lavishly as only God can.
Sometimes we say, “I’m
afraid.”
But in 2 Tim 1:7 we read, “God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but
the Spirit of power and love and self-control.”
Sometimes we say, “I feel
all alone.”
But in Heb 13:5 God says, “I will never fail or desert you.”
In our Gospel today Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” (John 14:1)
Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 2005
This homily was delivered in a parish in Maryland.
More Homilies for the Fifth Sunday of Year C
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life 2023
Related Homilies: Jesus is the way to the Father 2022