Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 5, 2023
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
If I lived during Jesus’ time and was so fortunate as to be called to be one of the twelve, I think the Christian faithful of today would refer to me as Anxious Joel, just like we refer to Doubting Thomas.
I need certainty, and I excessively worry, plan, and problem-solve when I don’t have it. The night before FaithND sent me the gospel reading for my reflection, I laid awake until 3:00 AM worrying about work issues, my children, if I was saving enough for retirement, and if my 7:00 AM flight would be on time.
Preceding today’s gospel, Jesus told the Apostles that one of them would betray him, and that he would suffer, die, and no longer be with them. Talk about uncertainty! If I were there, I would cry out, “Wait! What? What do we do now without you? Where are you going? Why can’t we come with you? We have been all over the land with you for the last several years!”
Jesus assures the Apostles and us today with his words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He then follows with two certainties. First—not only is he going to go before us, but he is also going to prepare a particular room for each of us, and there is enough room for all of us! Secondly, when we have faith in him, follow him, and make him the center of our life, we will find the truth during our time here on Earth.
Life has uncertainties, loss, and unpleasant times that trouble our hearts. Christ is with us now, walking through those challenges, and he is before us, preparing a place in heaven. He assured our future with him in Heaven through his death and resurrection. May we each make him the center of our lives.
Prayer
No one knows the troubles we suffer, dear Lord, and sometimes our lives are hard to bear. Help us to trust in your consoling words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” You know the depth of all people’s suffering and still you offered yourself on the cross to save us from ourselves, our pride, our self-centeredness. May the Spirit who raised you from the dead raise us up to serve others in their needs today. Alleluia!
Saint of the Day

Judith, also known as Jutta, began her life as a wife and mother, and deepened her pursuit of holiness as a wandering hermit after her husband died and her children had grown.
Born to a German aristocratic family in the 13th century, she was married to a noble. She was inspired by St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a contemporary, and heard the Lord call her to follow him. She not only sought to serve God herself, but also led her household to do the same and was known for her support of the poor, in imitation of Elizabeth.
Early in their marriage, her husband thought Judith dressed too simply, and asked her to take on styles more in keeping with the fashions of the upper class. She gradually helped him see the virtue in detachment from material wealth, and he grew in his own faithfulness. He died while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, leaving Judith to raise their family alone.
Many of her children entered monasteries as they matured, and after all had left the household, Judith gave her life to prayer and caring for the poor and sick. She gave everything she had to the poor except for one ragged dress, and went into the streets to beg for food for herself and for others.
Many people who had known her mocked and ridiculed her, but others treated her with reverence because they knew what she had given up. She wanted to separate herself from their praise, so she left and wandered the countryside, walking barefoot and helping those she encountered on her way.
She made her way into Prussia in 1260 and took up living as a hermit in a ruined building on the shore of a lake. People sought her out for her wisdom, and she was known for having instinctive insight into Scripture. She once said that three things can bring union with God: illness, exile from home, and voluntary poverty.
People who lived nearby reported seeing Judith raised from the ground in prayer, and she received a number of visions. She died of a fever after living in that place for four years, and miracles were reported to have occurred at her grave.
Judith is patron saint of Catholics in Prussia and Germany, and her image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Judith, you were a faithful wife and mother who gave your life to the poor and sick—pray for us!