Sixth Sunday of Easter, 9 May 2010,

As a child, I remember so well when relatives would come home each summer from England for their holidays. They were people who had to emigrate to find work and a way to support their family. It was such a delight for us children to see our cousins, uncle and aunt when they came back. They also brought us gifts!

One of the big tasks before they arrived was to clean and prepare our home so that all would be looking well. Floors were scrubbed, windows cleaned, furniture polished, grass cut and flowers put in vases – it was a mighty operation!

Then the day came when they were to arrive. They never had to ring at the door because from early morning we children were looking for them to come up the street with their suitcases. At long last, they would come around the corner and we would charge down the street to meet them and greet them.

In the Gospel today we hear, “we shall come to him (her) and make our homes with him (her)”. The ‘we’ in that quote is God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How do I/we get ready for this coming of God into my heart and life? The tidying and cleaning process is the Rite of Penance at this Mass. As a family we tidied for the relatives coming, we are painfully conscious that not all is well with us as God comes to us.

But there is no need to panic or be anxious. God wants our sins – not to look at them but to get rid of them! He is good at that – He casts them behind His back, He buries them at the bottom of the sea. With that done, just as we did when the relatives arrived, we sit down and listen. Now it is to God’s Word we listen with so much to tell us. He wants to give us His Son, Jesus, in Holy Communion.

Have you a Bible? That’s where God is always ready to give us His Word, His story and His love. If every day, even if only for a short while, you open the Bible and read God’s story, you will come to know Him better. Don’t worry that you may not understand what you read. The Holy Spirit will guide and enlighten you. A Bible cost what buying a newspaper for a week or two will cost and it is great value. The Bible gives God’s view of our world with its sufferings as well as its joys. His is the background to the newspaper stories.

As God’s Word enters your way of thinking and acting, you become better prepared to make an offering of yourself as you do at Mass. What you get back is way of proportion to your offering – you get back Jesus as our Bread of Life.

No matter how excited we were when our visitors arrived, we were broken-hearted when the time came to say goodbye. We knew we would not see them for another year. A year is a long, long time when you are a child. Tears were shed and we watched them go down the street until they disappeared from sight. Jesus was aware that His going away would also be a cause of sorrow for His disciples. But, listen to His words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”. Very soon the Holy Spirit will descend at Pentecost and we will have the presence of God stretching into eternal life.

Aidan Troy, C.P. [Aodhn Troighthigh, C.P.]