"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
to you. Not as the world gives do I give
it to you…” (John
14:27-31)
Peace is a
beautiful reality, impossible to fully define and yet experienced by all of us
at various times and in various ways.
Peace can be thought of in a negative way, such as an absence of war
between peoples, or a lack of turmoil within a family, or freedom from anxiety
in one’s heart. True peace is a positive
reality—a sense of tranquility and harmony and life. Nations are truly at peace when they cooperate
with each other; a family is at peace when they live together in harmony; a
person is at peace when resting confidently in the loving arms of Jesus. Peace is positive — and precious!
This
positive, precious peace is the farewell gift of Jesus to His disciples – and
us. Jesus gave us more than descriptive,
“nice” words about peace; He also gave us the means to find peace, and that
“means” is His very Body and Blood in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the means by which we become
one in Christ. By uniting us in Himself,
a harmony and positive spirit builds us up and helps heal our troubled, fearful
hearts. No doubt, as we see in the Acts
of the Apostles (Acts 14:19-28), Paul and Barnabas based their exciting and
fruitful missionary journeys on the peace and strength they experienced in
celebrating the Eucharist.
In our
pandemic-ravaged world, Jesus encourages us: “Do not let your
hearts be troubled or afraid.” With Jesus’ gift of
peace in our hearts, we can live in peace with one another as we breathe a sigh
of contentment, relief and encouragement — leading to true healing and life.
“May all creation bless God’s holy name forever!” (Psalm 145:10-21)
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