In my Father’s House – there are many rooms ….

 A thought from today’s Parish Bulletin (www.achonrydiocese.org/kilmovee/bulletin.pdf)

Do you remember the way you‟d draw a house when you were a child? Few of us were architects at that stage and the house usually took a fairly basic form. A door with a window each side, a slated roof (crossed pairs of parallel lines) and a chimney with smoke rising and heading in a more or less straight line. We might add in the sun as well, for good luck, with a few well placed rays darting from it. If we wanted to be ambitious, we might try to do a bit of a lawn with a fence and a path curling from the front door. Or – is that just me??? Art was never my strong point!!!

Regardless of the quality of the art, the house had a few essentials. There had to be windows to let the light in, a door to keep the unwanted out and a chimney to reassure us there was warmth for all. We didn‟t get into the finer points of rooms inside, en suites, sculleries, sun-rooms or play rooms. The house spoke of safety and being with ones who made you feel safe. That was enough!

It‟s a lovely image of Heaven – the one used by Jesus in today‟s Gospel – “in my Father‟s House, there are many rooms” …. There‟s something about wanting to reassure us that the image that gives us a sense of belonging on earth has also its place in Heaven. The warmth and the security are taken for granted and now he speaks of “rooms” – a room with our name on the door. Until the rooms are filled, it could just be a house – people make places. People make HOMES!

The Room is there for us. There‟s no rush but it‟s good to know it‟s there. The directions have been given to us as well. The way? Jesus. The truth? Jesus. The life? Jesus.