5th Sunday of Easter

Gospel – John 14:1-12

Home Is Where The Soul Is

Heiskell, TN

Trust me, I love a good vacation!  Give me a quiet and secluded place, preferably near a river with the only sounds are those of the forest and wildlife and I will be happy.  A place of quiet and rest!  But there comes a point when you realize that it’s time to go home!  And no matter how peaceful and stress-relieving a vacation is, I love that moment when I open our front door, drop the luggage on the floor and breathe a sigh of relief that we are home!

HOME!!!  I’ve been thinking a lot about that word lately!  What does it mean?  Where exactly is my/our home?  I’ve come to realize that my definition of home has changed over the years.  At first, home was that little house next to Dad’s store nestled in the farmland of Southern Maryland.  It was where I learned to walk and talk, where my brother and sisters and I played badminton over the fence and let my imagination run wild in the woods nearby.

But then, after 8th grade, my home became Father Judge Mission Seminary in Monroe, VA, where we lived, learned, prayed and grew over the next 5 years.  That was home!  And then home became a sinple dorm room when I moved to Chicago and continued my studies at Loyola University.  And then home became that tiny (cozy?) studio apartment where Ginger and I began our married life. 

And then in 1983, home became that 110-year-old house on Dakin Street where we raised our daughter Jaime and lived there for 40 some years.  And now, here we are – in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, surrounded by cows and goats, horses and mules, sitting on our front porch/back deck feasting on gorgeous sunsets and the closeness of family and friends, not to mention fresh eggs from the family chickens, all in the space of 2 years – who would have thought? 

I doubt your story is all that different – multiple moves over the years from one house/home to another!  I think you would also agree that it takes a while to call a new place HOME!  Early on, whenever I would fly back to Chicago, the underlying feeling was – I’m going back home!  Somehow in the last year, however, that switch has flipped!  Now, when I head to the Windy City, the emotion is simple – I’m leaving home!  And I can’t wait to get back!

Home!  We all have different definitions, different emotions, different reactions!  Jesus speaks of another home in today’s Gospel, our heavenly home.  Our eternal HOME1  He promises us that God has prepared a place for us.  So keep the faith!  Do not be afraid or troubled!  Your home is waiting for you!  And if you think you love your earthly dwelling, just wait til you see the home God has prepared for you!  Be patient!  Believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life! And Come Back Home!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

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