Tuesday, April 30, 2002
5th Week of Easter
1st Reading: Acts 14:19-28
Gospel: Jn 14:27-31
Jesus
said to his disciples, "Peace be with you; I give you my peace. Not
as the world gives peace do I give it to you. Do not be troubled; do not
be afraid. You heard me say: 'I am going away, but I am coming to you.'
If you loved me, you would be glad that I go to the Father, for the Father
is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen
you may believe. It is very little what I may still tell you, for the
ruler of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in me that he
can claim. But see, the world must know that I love the Father and that
I do what the Father has taught me to do. Come now, let us go.
Commentary
Jesus says, "I give you MY peace." Not the kind we are sold in the happy faces of the advertisements. The peace of Jesus endures, even as he feels distress and fear, even as he knows Judas is going to betray him and Peter's bravado will not stand the test of reality, even as he knows that "the ruler of this world is at hand." His peace has the same root as his joy - union with the God he calls Father, who possesses his heart so entirely that to love this Father and make him known is like a thirst, the great passion of his life. Love is shown by laying down our lives, daily, in small ways. For example, laying down the newspaper to see and listen to those with whom we live or work.