I suppose that we’ve all known people who talk all the time about doing something or another, but they just never quite get around to actually doing it.  They never set a date.  They never call.  They never make arraignments.  Probably, we’ve all done it ourselves at some point.  Sometimes, our “good intentions” just aren’t followed through on in our actions.  So when we’re in school, and our friend is always talking about having over to swim in their pool, it just never seems to materialize.   Or maybe at work, all we hear about for months, is about our co-worker’s new boat, and all the great times that “everybody” is going to have on the new boat, and yet the invitation to go boating just never kinda happens.   Or maybe it’s that really nice family in the neighborhood that you’ve known for several years now, who are constantly talking about having you and your family over for dinner.  They keep bringing it up.  But it just never seems to happen.  And these people aren’t cruel.  They are most likely not doing this to hurt anybody.  Maybe they’re just forgetful, or really busy, or they like to talk more than they like to do.  Or maybe they just have really good intentions, that they just don’t get around to acting on.  But at very least, they could quit talking about it.

       On the surface, in our Gospel, it can actually look like Jesus is doing the same thing in this story.  For nearly three years, all that Jesus talked about to His Apostles was this Kingdom.  And the Kingdom was going to be good.  There was going to be no sickness, no sadness, and no death.   In Jesus’ Kingdom nobody was ever going to lose their job, or not be able to pay their bills, or get divorced.  There’d be no sin, no war, and we wouldn’t have to worry about what we eat.  And… AND… it, The Kingdom, would last forever.  Jesus spent hours talking about how wonderful His Kingdom was going to be, when we would all be together again, with His Father, and with all the angels and saints, in this place of perfect happiness and peace.  It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?   Sometimes, when we really get to thinking about Heaven, it’s like, “Let’s go!”  Bring it on.  So when we come to today’s Gospel, and Jesus reassures them that there’s plenty of rooms for everybody in His Kingdom.  He tells them not to worry, not to let their hearts be troubled.  He’s got us covered.  Then Jesus says, “Where I am going, you know the way.”  And it’s Thomas, good, old, practical, logical, Thomas, who speaks up right away.  In that instant, Thomas sees Heaven slipping away from him.  After all of Jesus’ talk, he starting to think that he’s not going to get to go to the Kingdom, because he doesn’t know how to get there.   This is very confusing to Thomas.  He doesn’t understand where Jesus is going.  Where is this Kingdom?  Thomas is starting to get worried here.  Remember, Heaven is on the line.  He’s realizing that Jesus is going to leave them AGAIN.  And Thomas, who was a smart guy - Thomas has no idea how to get where Jesus is going.  Jesus is going to have to be a whole lot clearer here for Thomas and for us.

       Jesus tells St. Thomas and all of us, that He is the way to Heaven.  “Nobody comes to the Father except through me”, Jesus tells them.  The Christian way of life is the key to getting to Heaven.  If we want to go to Heaven, then we’d better be living by Jesus’ values and imitating the love and compassion that He modeled for us, when He walked this earth.  Let me promise you, Jesus’ values are NOT the same values of our world.   I really think that for many of us, we want to follow Jesus.  We like His values.  But we also really like the values and priorities of the world.  And in 2008, far too many Christian are trying to live by BOTH sets of values, and it won’t work.  Jesus’ values and the values of this world are diametrically opposed to each other.  You can’t follow Jesus and follow the world.  The world’s concerns over power, and control, and money, and popularity, and things, and what looks good, are NOT going to mean anything in Heaven.  They make those values look so good on reality TV, but those can’t be our values.  They don’t last.  They just leave you feeling empty and used.   Jesus’ values of compassion, and mercy, and honesty, and service, and hope, and courage – these are values that can last forever.  It all comes down to what “way” we want to follow.  We make that choice every day.  We need to know the ramifications of that choice.

        And it’s worth saying also that when it comes to following Jesus’ way, good intentions aren’t enough then either.  We’ve got to live out what we believe.  Anybody can WANT to go to Heaven.  Very few actually live like they are going to Heaven.  Let us follow Jesus’ way.  It will get us home.

God bless us today,  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti…Pray for us !!!