Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
The very first sentence of today's Gospel gives us a lot to think about. Jesus comes to give us peace. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. But what is his peace like? Is it peace in our human understanding? Jesus continues: Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Exactly. Not like the world gives. For the world, peace means no war. It is a political - social concept.
Peace is a time of stabilization and economic development. etc. Probably the contemporaries of Jesus interpreted this concept in a similar way. When He said He came to bring peace, they imagined He would defeat the Roman occupants and bring peace in a political sense to Israel. But Jesus emphasized: I want to give you peace in a different way than the world gives peace. Because the world often wants to give peace through war. We can see today how many wars are fought "in the name of peace".
This world cannot give us real peace. We are constantly attacked by various anxieties. And this applies not only to the social dimension in the international or local arena, but also to our surroundings, home, work, and the circle of friends. The world cannot give us peace. The peace of Christ is a beginning of finding ourselves in God.
Jesus says: Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor let it be afraid. In contrast to the peace that stems from entrusting ourselves to Jesus, there is fear that we will lose something irretrievably. Jesus goes to the Father. He tells the disciples: I am going away and I will come to you again. If you love me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than me. But they are worried, they look at it in the humane way.They think that once He is gone, they will be alone. But Jesus will say in another passage: I will not leave you orphans. We will never be alone ...
We just need to stop seeing through the prism of this world. Through the prism of loss. The disciples still had a fear of losing their Master. And when He really went away in a tragic way, they were lost. Only his resurrection restored their life and trust. And let us have this trust. We are not alone ... Jesus is in our midst. He wants to heal our anxieties. He wants to give us his Peace.
One more thought
Today Jesus addresses us in a unique way - He is giving us a special gift. A gift that no one can provide to man, nobody but only the Son of God. It is a gift of peace. It will not be provided by a parent to a child, and the child to the parent, the husband to the wife, and the wife to the husband. A person immersed in work, duties, money, passions and entertainment will not experience peace in the heart. Especially not with chemical stimulants, drugs, or in panic taking care of our health.
Whoever does not accept Jesus’ peace remains in fear. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
Jesus made those who follow his path his friends. He revealed to them the Father's love for people. Moreover, although Jesus physically left the world, he remained among us. He waits every day, offering himself to the faithful in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Ruler and Giver of peace, he wants to give much greater gifts, waiting for an open heart. He wants to kindle the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we may be witnesses of the Father's love in this generation.
That is why it is so important, especially today. When churches in many places around the world were empty, were closed and the liturgy stopped, because people, instead of trusting God and reason, trust the media message. They have given their lives, dignity, work and earnings into the hands of politicians who believe in statistics, numbers and percentages. The people, driven by a spiral of psychotic dread, got scared by the virus, praying to the rulers for an antidote.
Where is Almighty God? Where is the Creator of this world? Oh yes! We think that Spiritual Communion is sufficient, via television broadcasting. The sacrament of Penance changed its form - into spiritual self-absolution. We think that God should not interfere. We are going to rebuild our towers. We get vaccinated and it will be fine. Our way.
The ruler of this world rejoices. But “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” (cf. Jn 14: 30- 31).
And I? Who do I believe in? Whom do I support?
“I am going away and I will come back to you” (cf. Jn 14:28).
Marana-tha! Amen. Come Lord Jesus!
Until Tomorrow
fr. george