Mid-week Reflection – Sr. Antoinette Tombozi, SNDdeN
May, 2026
John 11: 1-45
The Gospel reading takes place on Holy Thursday, at the conclusion of Jesus’ final meal with his disciples. On this occasion, Jesus comforts his disciples, who are distraught and overwhelmed by anguish. He invites them to believe in God and to place their trust in him—Jesus. He promises to prepare a place for them in the Father’s house and to return to take them to himself; he reveals himself as the one and only way to God (“I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jn 14:6a); and, in response to Philip, he affirms his unity with the Father and assures them that prayers offered in his name will be answered.
In our own lives, at certain moments, terrible fears, sorrow, weariness, discouragement, the burden of unemployment, uncertainty about the future, hunger, violence, incurable diseases—all these things come crashing down upon us. And against this backdrop of crisis, serious questions arise among true believers: Are the great human values not beginning to fade? What will the humanity of tomorrow believe in? And a wave of panic begins to sweep over even the most faithful believers.
It is within a human context such as this that Jesus’ optimism bursts forth like a bright, clear flame in the night. Knowing that he was mere hours away from his own cross, it is he who attempts to lift the spirits of his friends: (“Do not let your hearts be troubled,” Jn 14:1a).
What must we do to find the courage to remain ever faithful to Jesus in the face of the dreadful anxieties that grip the hearts and minds of believers? What reasons does Jesus offer us so that we need never be afraid again—afraid of anything at all?
Jesus invites us to look in one direction alone: FAITH. “Believe in God, and believe in me,” says Jesus. The profound peace of Jesus—that which transcends all fear—does not rely on the human realm, but on God. Even death cannot destroy His peace; for His peace comes from nothing human. It comes from God. Indeed, we see that Jesus asks for an act of faith directed toward His own person—an act identical to the faith one places in God. Thus, if we believe in Jesus, our troubles will lessen, and our hearts will be filled with Peace, Joy, and Strength.
Jesus announces His return to His Father to prepare a place for those who believe in Him, so that they, too, may be where He is. This return opens the path to our true home—a home not situated merely “up above.” The ultimate purpose of the human being lies not within the human realm itself, but in God. Humanity is journeying toward the place where Jesus is. Man is created to become “like God”; thus, we understand why He says: “Let not your hearts be troubled.”
“You know the way to where I am going,” Jesus tells humanity—addressing the very questions posed by the Apostle Thomas: Where are we going? What is the meaning, the ultimate goal of life? What lies beyond death? For Jesus, the horizon is never blocked or lacking in hope. Indeed, for those who accept the words of Jesus, history possesses meaning; life is not absurd. Jesus is the “Path-Opener.” Without Christ, humans remain confined within our own limitations. With Him—and with Him alone—a path exists, leading toward the Father’s House. We cannot reach the Father without being united to Christ, who is the sole Way that leads to the Father.
Now that we know what our ultimate goal is, we must set out toward communion. Jesus became human so that we might behold the Father within Him. He followed His path—so puzzling to us—so that, by meditating on His actions, we might advance toward the truth. Even if, at first, we do not fully grasp His thought, with time we will discover the Lord and understand that His path is also our own. By passing through the cross and through death, we will attain our own truth and arrive at life. Thus, He brings us into the family of God. Let us, therefore, no longer speak of approaching God as if He were distant from us; rather, we enter into the mysterious life of the Divine Persons. Christ is in the Father, and the Father is in Him, and together they make their home within us. And all of God’s actions in the world must be understood in the light of the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son. God’s presence within us is owed to yet another Person: the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus offers us the hope and the assurance of His continuous presence—the presence of the Risen Christ.
Are we faithful—are we capable—of looking upon Jesus in the Gospel and thereby coming to understand God? Are we faithful in keeping and meditating upon His word, so that we may truly be His disciples and come to know the truth?
Consequently, this Gospel exhorts us to believe in God and in His Son, Jesus, and encourages us to keep Jesus’ words—to meditate upon them, to put them into practice, and to let them take root in our souls—for Jesus is the sole path that leads to the Father, with whom He is one: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father,” says Jesus. To follow Jesus is to obey God through our gestures, our words, our actions. Amen
Meet Sister Antoinette Tombozi, SNDdeN
