Maybe we feel that if we only had the perfect job in the perfect community, then finally we wouldn’t feel so restless. Maybe we feel that if we could meet that perfect partner, then finally we could be ready to settle down. Maybe we feel as though if we could just get the children through to school and into a good university we could take a well-earned break from life’s treadmill. If only we could achieve a certain goal, or settle some old score we could finally obtain peace. It never seems to happen … it seems to be part of our human condition to be forever restless. Perhaps we are at our closet to feeling at peace when the day is done and we close our own front door on the world, though even then there’s the dog to be fed and the children to be bathed and put to bed. In the gospel reading today, Jesus directly addresses our yearning for peace. “Do not let your hearts be troubled ….. I go to prepare a place for you….” What a very comforting thought. God has prepared a little corner of heaven especially for us. What will our little corner of heaven be like, and more importantly, how must we find our way there?

In today’s gospel, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer be with them in the flesh. Jesus assures them that although their relationship is changing, it’s not ending. The assurance for us all is that through our belief in Jesus, we will find our home with God. “I am the way, and the truth and the life…” Jesus leaves us with the promise that following his teachings is the way to  ultimate peace.