Quality of Life

A long life may be a blessing, but a really long, long life on this earth is not a blessing—it may be even a curse. Think of the various illnesses and weaknesses that could attack us in our very long life. Rather than the quantity, we are certainly interested in a better quality of life: the fullness of life, as Jesus himself promises. We yearn for it, to possess it not only in our afterlife (after our death), but to possess it as much as possible during our earthly life even.

Jesus gives the fullness of life to those who thirst for it here and now, at least a foretaste of what we will be experiencing after our death. Jesus said that we have a heavenly home, that he himself was gladly going there, and that he would take care to prepare for us a place. A place that will be ready once our turn comes to go home, having done our part here on earth.

These are the words that we read in today’s gospel: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”

There’s a life beyond this one, a house of “many dwelling places,” and Jesus, who died and rose, is going to prepare a place for us. What could be better? The day will come, one way or the other, when the bodies in which we live will no longer support our lives in this world. We are mortal beings imperfect and corrupt; so we will suffer and die. But when that moment comes, Jesus our Savior will be there. It’s a divine promise. And he will take us to where he lives beyond death. Our job is to stay focused on Jesus, who forgives our sins and leads us in the way of salvation.

Jesus himself is the Way, the Truth and the Life. So why fear? To be close to the person of Jesus is to be already on the way. To be close to Jesus is to have attained the truth. (So how can his promises be false?) To be close to him is to have attained life—the fullness of life that he promised, the quality of life that each and every one of us thirst for.