“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” This verse provides the ultimate hope that our life is a journey toward a specific place that has been prepared for us. Just as the Israelites journeyed toward the Promised Land, we as people of faith journey toward the Promised Land that is the Kingdom of Heaven.
This verse is not a rejection of the importance of the visible Church; it actually reinforces the necessity of the Church. These “dwelling places” are not private islands but are joined together as one into a single family home. For this reason, we must remain united to the Church, for we discover our unity through her.
In the ancient world, a house was not just a building. Rather, it was a family unit where one’s whole family resided. When a son would get married, he would add a “dwelling place” onto his father’s existing home. Over time, this would lead to many dwelling places united together in a permanent community.
Despite the “many rooms” that are represented, they remain united within the one house. This symbolizes the unity of the Church. Here, people from every nation and culture are able to reside together under one roof. They have endured the assaults of the enemy and have now been called home to God.
Jesus proclaims, “I go to prepare a place for you.” He does this through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The Church is the vehicle that has been established for us so that we may be prepared for such a dwelling place. He left us the sacraments—such as Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, and Confession—in order that we may be given the grace needed to run the race.
If we were to remove the Church from this situation, we would be left without a structure to which these many rooms could be joined. Without the Church, we would be left as isolated individuals wandering around and doing as we please. The Church provides us with the structure of this home through the Creed, its hierarchy, Sacred Scripture, and tradition.
As Christians, we need to remain united to such a life of faith. There is always the allure of abandoning such confines. In doing so, we chase after something other than the unity that should exist and become individuals who have placed themselves at the center of life. We cannot start our own church based on what we want to believe, but must follow what has been handed down to us as truth.
As we look toward those eternal rooms, let us not see the Church as a set of restrictive walls, but as the very foundation that makes our homecoming possible. We must remain rooted in the life of the Church. Let us persevere in faith by keeping our sight set upon Christ and the Church He has left behind to care for our souls.
