Peace I Leave With You

There are many things to be worried about—from those smaller, maybe insignificant concerns such as what to wear, what to say, to those maybe larger concerns such as how to get by, how to feed the family, how to pay the bills, and even the grave injustices and social ills that are present all around us. In the face of life’s many trials and tribulations, do we truly believe that Jesus has given us His peace?

We can imagine that, for the Apostles, this question would’ve been quite relevant too.

This Sunday’s Gospel comes from Jesus’ final discourse with his friends just before His suffering and death. In the face of the messianic expectation of deliverance and salvation, Jesus’ humiliating death could only mean disappointment and despair. Were not the Apostles afraid, too, because they could have been next?! Peace, really, was the last thing they had.

And yet, Christ’s peace is a legacy and a gift that doesn’t depend on ‘what’s out there’—that would be to think of peace as the world thinks of it. Jesus says, ‘Not as the world gives, do I give it to you.’ Truly, Christ’s peace comes from the indwelling of the Triune God in us: the Father who sends the Spirit in the Son’s name. This divine peace, since it is something so intimate to us, is therefore able to withstand the very real trials of our lives. Just as Christ was able to endure His Cross because the Father was always with Him, it is this very peace—Christ’s very peace—that has been given to us.

So, in the face of the world’s trials, we are, as He said, to neither let our hearts be troubled nor afraid. The peace of Christ does not take away our hardships, but it can help us to bear it, just like him. Take courage then, my friends! Christ has conquered the world!

Image: Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308–11.