Sunday Readings for May 2-3, Fifth Sunday of Easter
By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission
In the opening moments of this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus looks at his closest friends — the ones who have seen the empty tomb, touched his wounds, eaten breakfast with him on the shore — and he says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1). What could they have been troubled about?
Think of what they were experiencing: Jesus risen from the dead and back in their presence. Rather, one would think the Apostles should have been dancing in the streets, frying fish, and planning the world’s biggest “welcome back” party? Yet their hearts were troubled. Of course, their hearts were troubled.
They had just lived through the worst week of their lives. They had watched Jesus be arrested, humiliated, beaten, and killed. They had run, hidden, denied, and wept. Trauma doesn’t evaporate just because something good happens afterward.
And let’s be honest: the appearance of the Risen Jesus was also troubling. He appeared and disappeared. He walked through doors. He wasn’t always recognized right away. The Apostles were adjusting to a new kind of presence. It takes trust. It takes a heart that’s willing to be stretched.
And just when they’re finally starting to unclench their shoulders, Jesus starts talking about leaving again. Imagine the emotional whiplash. They lost him. They got him back. Now he’s preparing them for his Ascension.
It’s no wonder their hearts were troubled. They were afraid of losing him twice. They didn’t understand what “going to the Father” meant. They didn’t yet know how to imagine a world where Jesus was present but not visible, near but not touchable. They were grieving the Jesus they knew, even as they were meeting the Jesus he was becoming.
When Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he isn’t scolding them for being afraid. He’s comforting them. He’s saying, “I know this is confusing. I know you’re overwhelmed. But I’m not abandoning you.”
Then he gives the reason for them to find peace within: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places” (Jn 14:2). In other words, you belong. You are expected. You have a place with God that cannot be taken from you.
Then Philip says what everyone else is thinking: “Show us the Father” (Jn 14:8). Translation: “Could you maybe give us a little clarity? A brochure? A diagram? A PowerPoint?”
Jesus simply says, “You’ve already seen him. You’ve seen me.” Which is Jesus’ gentle way of saying: “You’re not as lost as you think you are.”
And that’s the heart of this Gospel. The Apostles weren’t troubled because they lacked faith.
They were troubled because they loved Jesus — and love makes us vulnerable, hopeful, nervous, and brave all at once.
So this week, if your own heart feels a little shaken — by life, by loss, by uncertainty — hear Jesus speaking to you the same way he spoke to them: gently, steadily, with the promise that you are not alone. He is not leaving. He is leading. And he is preparing a place where your heart can finally rest.
The readings for Sunday, May 3, can be found at Fifth Sunday of Easter | USCCB.