“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places”
What does Jesus mean when He says He has to go prepare the place? This statement has a double meaning. On one hand, He meant He had to go to Heaven to prepare the place for us. In the Jewish culture a bridegroom would prepare a place for his bride, prior to their wedding. The bridegroom would usually prepare a place by going back to his father’s place and building on an extension room or rooms to the existing house, so that he and his bride would have a place to live. Jesus is the groom and the Church is the bride. Jesus, at the Last Supper, was telling His young bride that He was going to the Father and would prepare a place for them. This makes complete sense when we see Heaven in the context of the Lamb’s Supper, a great wedding feast. Mass is a foretaste of this, a piece of heaven on earth. When we get to heaven we will partake in the great wedding feast and then live for eternity with our beloved groom in the place that He has prepared for us.
On the other hand and more importantly, Jesus was speaking of going to prepare a place for us by His suffering and death. We have to remember this takes place during the Last Supper, the final moments he was together with all of his apostles before his crucifixion. He prepares a place on the Cross for them and for us so that we might unite all of our sufferings with His. Since he knows that death is not the end, he is able to say to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” They, and we, do not have to be troubled or afraid when we face persecution because Jesus is the perfect model for us.
How many places are there in the Father’s House? Since Jesus died for all mankind and not for the Apostles alone, there are enough places for everyone.
Is there a difference in the “rooms”? Saint Augustine says the "rooms" or "mansions" refer to different degrees of rewards in heaven. [1] Saint Thomas Aquinas concurs. In the following article Thomas adds, "The more one will be united to God the happier will one be.” [2]
Can we tell then if we have a “lesser” reward? No, we will not know, nor should we care. We will be in Heaven, pure bliss and joy. One ounce of Heavenly joy is better than all the best things in this world. To be assured of a deeper joy in Heaven, we must have a deeper faith and joy in Jesus Christ here on earth. We will be filled with the reward that is within our capacity to hold. Saint Faustina gives the analogy of different size vessels or cups. Grace and Mercy are limitless. We limit the amount of Grace and Mercy we are able to receive through our trust. Our trust is the measure of our capacity to receive. If we have a very small cup or vessel we receive a small amount of Grace and Mercy. This is the same with heaven; we receive the reward for which we have the capacity to receive. This is why we want to stretch our soul, making sure it has the largest capacity to receive Grace, Mercy and its eternal reward. To stretch something hurts and so to stretch our soul is not always easy.
Will we all have a place in the Father’s House? We do all have a place in Heaven prepared for us, but it is our free will that will allow us to be accepted into His house forever or not.
When Jesus says, “I will come back” does He mean the Rapture or His second coming? The Catholic Church does not believe in the Rapture theory. [Refer back to “The falseness of the rapture theory”] Jesus is speaking of His final coming, but He is also speaking directly to the Apostles who have long since died, while Jesus’ second and final coming has not occurred yet. Jesus spoke of coming back from the dead and His glorious resurrection. He assured them to have faith in Him because even death cannot keep Him from coming back because He is God.
Why does Jesus tell his disciples not to worry? Again, we must remember in the context of the Scriptures why Jesus is telling them not to worry. Jesus is with them at the Last Supper. He has spoken of a betrayer, Judas, who will hand him over. Jesus also told them that His time with them was coming to an end soon, “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.” [3] He then foretells that Peter will deny Him three times. All of this would worry anyone. Jesus tells them not to be afraid in order to strengthen them. Also, he reminds them of who He really is and that He and the Father are one. Do we allow any problems or worries rob us of God’s peace?