The Gospel according to John (14:27-31a)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”
Reflection:
I’ve written about this particular Gospel passage a number of times by now, and this portion of John’s Gospel that concludes chapter 14 is truly about peace. I thought of a couple of ways of approaching the concept of “peace” for today’s reflection.
The first is based on something I saw from my friends, the Irish Jesuits. I saw that they defined “peace” this way: peace is “something internal, not external. It comes from an inner sense of security, of a conviction that God is with us and in us and that we are in the right place. It is something which not even the threat of death can take away.” I think that is the kind of peace that we all long for.
It is the peace that is only possible if we don’t get caught up in seeing the world as anything other than the creation of a loving God. Especially nowadays, it’s so easy to look at what is going on in the world and to despair – how can we see God working in a world with so much division, hatred and pain? If we do that, we lose sight of the fact that God is more powerful than any human being or human organization. God can (and does) make miracles happen. We just forget to look for them.
The other approach to this notion of peace comes from a podcast being offered this month on the Ascension smartphone app called “The Mass in a Month”, by Dr Edward Sri. As I write this, for today’s episode on the podcast was all about peace, and how God calls us to not just view the exchange of peace we have at Mass as just some kind of basic greeting. No, it is our sincere prayer that our peace be that which comes from God, and that as a community gathering for Mass, we ask God to share His peace with us through the celebration of the Eucharist. It’s a pretty amazing thing, actually.
May each of us find that peace which “surpasses all understanding”, and may we share it with everyone we meet today.
Action for the Day:
Are you feeling a lack of peace in your own heart? If so, take a moment now and ask God to help you find that peace that comes from the Holy Spirit within you. And, if you are feeling that peace now, offer a prayer for someone in your life who needs that peace, that he or she may discover it and live it out!
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
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