OMELIE / Omelie EN

03 mag 2026

3 May 2026 – 5th Sunday of Easter – Year A

3 May 2026 – 5th Sunday of Easter – Year A

1st Reading Acts 6:1–7; Psalm 32; 2nd Reading 1 Peter 2:4–9; Gospel John 14:1–12

‘Honour, then, to you who believe’: Saint Peter writes to Christians, saying that those who believe—that is, who rely on the Cornerstone of the holy edifice, which is the Church—will not be disappointed. To believe is an honour, before God, of course. Those who believe, those who base their lives on the Lord Jesus, become, together with others, ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired by God to proclaim his marvellous deeds’. Living by faith or in faith is therefore an immense grace, a divine and holy gift.

For this reason, the Apostles cherish their faith, first by praying themselves, and then by devoting themselves to spreading the Word, so that others too may come to know Jesus and believe in him, and thus live a new life. We know this from the decision they took in the community in Jerusalem, where a serious problem had arisen. It was they, the apostles, who were responsible for distributing food to the poor. A complaint arising from some misunderstanding convinced them to relinquish this valuable service and entrust it to other capable men who were, above all, faithful to the Lord. They called them ‘deacons’; in this way, they would neglect neither prayer nor evangelisation. Prayer and the proclamation of the Gospel must take first place in the life of the Church. If the Church were not to make Jesus known to the world, it might as well close its doors!

Jesus himself, in fact, in today’s Gospel passage, helps us to understand how essential it is for every person to know him, to love him, and to live united with him. He said, in reply to a question from Thomas: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ And then he explained: do you wish to know the way to come and enjoy all the Father’s love? You will come through me: I am the way. Do you want to know what the Father’s love is like? Do you want to see and know the truth so as not to be deceived by human opinions? Do you want your life to be immersed in God’s holiness? Well, I am that truth. Do you want to live God’s full and eternal life? And to live it to the point of sharing his love for all people by performing the wonders of love? Behold, I am the life. ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’: this answer must have remained in Thomas’s heart and mind, to the point that, having realised in his heart the reality of the resurrection, he himself would say to the risen Jesus: ‘My Lord and my God’. Jesus is truly the life of God, which becomes my life. Jesus is the truth of his love present in all creation, which becomes a gift to be enjoyed every day. Jesus is the way that enables me to receive the Father’s love every day, so that I may then give it to everyone I meet, to anyone who is still without life and devoid of truth.

Jesus offered this revelation of himself, so profound and complete, as he had never done before with his words, after assuring all his own that they may believe in him as in the Father. Indeed, they must believe in this way, so that their hearts may not be troubled. Causes for distress are ever-present in the world, both within and outside the life of the Church itself. And he assures them that after his death he will return to be present at their side. He is indeed going to prepare ‘a place’ for them.

What did Jesus mean? What kind of place do his disciples need? We can find an answer in the words of Saint Peter, who says that we are living stones of the building of which Jesus is the cornerstone. Every stone needs its place: a place where it can rest so as to bear the weight of the other stones in the building. Together, they will all rest upon Jesus. Every disciple of the Lord needs to receive the love of the other disciples, and lives by giving the love of Jesus. Thus they will love one another, as the new commandment enlightens us. Jesus prepares a place for each of us in the Church. It will be a place where we rejoice in the love of our brothers and sisters, a place of service, to be a joy to all. It is Jesus who prepares this place for us.

The apostles found the place where they could pray and proclaim the Word, the source of life and faith. And the deacons have received another place to manifest the beauty of a community where love for the needy is consecrated by the prayer of the whole Church. In this Church, holy and honoured, founded on and in faith, there is a place for me too. I shall not choose it: the risen Jesus has already prepared it.

I shall live my faith with simplicity, even if I cannot even name my place. This matters not to Jesus. What matters to him is that my heart be untroubled; what matters to him is that I remain steadfast on the one path of holiness, which is him; what matters to him is that, through his Holy Spirit, I may reveal him as the full truth; and what matters to him is that my life be his. Jesus is my life: I do not live by material things, by realities esteemed by the kingdoms of the world; I do not live by fleeting honours, for I live only when Jesus is my support, my desire, the source