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“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little
while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because
I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in
my Father and you are in me and I in you.” John 14:18–20
The feeling of being an orphan, of longing for belonging, reflects
a deeper spiritual reality Jesus addressed with His disciples in
today’s Gospel. Those with close families are truly blessed, as a
supportive family fosters personal growth and a sense of identity.
When one is orphaned, the absence of these natural bonds can leave
a lasting sense of loss. Yet even the strongest earthly family
relationships point to a greater truth: our ultimate belonging is
found in God’s family.
Jesus understood the sense of loss His disciples would feel after
His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension. When He said, “In a
little while the world will no longer see me…” He was preparing
them for His physical departure through the Ascension. But He
reassures them: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to
you…you will see me, because I live and you will live.”
Initially, the disciples struggled to grasp the meaning of these
words. Only after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit did they begin
to understand. The same promise Jesus made to them applies to us
today. Though we were not among those who witnessed His earthly
presence, we too have a longing for His nearness—a longing to
belong, to be loved, and to find our place within a family. This
longing is fulfilled supernaturally through the gift of faith and
our incorporation into God’s divine family, the Church.
Faith is the key to this relationship. It is more than intellectual
belief; it is the acceptance of a personal revelation from God and
a choice to live according to that revelation. Jesus promises that
those who love Him and obey His commandments will experience His
presence and that of the Father. This experience begins through
faith, which is a gift by which God communicates Himself to us,
revealing His love and will. It is both certain and mysterious, a
knowledge that leads us to divine hope and sustains us in the
pursuit of God’s will.
Faith also unites us with one another. Through faith, we are no
longer orphans but brothers and sisters in Christ. Our natural
longing to belong finds its ultimate fulfillment in God’s glorious
family, which begins on earth and is perfected in Heaven.
Reflect today on the desire in your heart to belong, to be loved,
and to be part of a family. Recognize that this longing finds its
ultimate fulfillment in the family of God. Though we await the
fullness of this communion in Heaven, we can experience it even
now. Commit yourself to respond to Jesus’ invitation by embracing
your place in His family through prayer, the sacraments, and daily
acts of love. Recognize that He is in the Father, we are in Him,
and He is in us. Embrace this reality, allowing the gift of faith
to draw you more deeply into the divine family to which we are
called.
My revealing Lord, deep within my soul I long for You and desire
to be one with You and Your Father through the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit. Please reveal Yourself to me so that I can know You,
live according to Your commandments, and flourish in Your grace.
May my membership in Your family of faith, through the Church,
begin now and become perfected in Heaven. Jesus, I trust in
You.
Image: Jesus teaches in the Temple by Jan van Orley
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