The gospel of today points us to the right direction. The gospel of today contains another part of the last talk that Jesus gave to his most intimate followers. He said to them, “Peace, I bequeath to you my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”. Jn 14:27
What does Jesus mean by peace? Peace is much more than the absence of war or dissention. Peace is not simply harmony but a state of inner clam and completeness. It is a state of being in the right relationship with God and with others. This is the reason why Jesus could talk about the experience of peace at the very time when he was in a situation of turmoil and anxiety. At the Last Supper, Jesus was confronting a situation that on face value marked the end of what He was trying to achieve. He knew that He was going to be put to death. He knew that those very intimate followers were going to abandon Him. He knew that the person whom He had chosen to take His place as the leader of the community was going to deny Him and another of his close friends was going to betray Him. How can one talk about being in peace in such circumstances? Jesus was able to do so because peace essentially consists of an inner disposition that is the result of a personal relationship with God. This in turn helps us to keep things in perspective and not panic or be overwhelmed at the very first sign of trouble.
We have a very good example of the exercise of peace in the first reading of today taken from the Book of Acts written by St Luke. One of the great difficulties that the early church had to face was how to deal with the converts who were not Jesus. It was relatively speaking smooth sailing when the first Christians were all from a Jewish heritage. They had the same customs, they were immersed in the same culture, they had a common language and a familiar way of thinking and acting. However, this situation changed, when people of other races and cultures began to join the early church, especially in a place called Antioch which is found in modern day Turkey. How are we going to deal with them?
There was a strong suggestion emanating from the leadership team of the church in Jerusalem that these people had to be circumcised like all the Jews. There was strong move to make these people adopt all the Jewish customs and ways of doing things including all the precepts of the Law of Moses. However, St Paul who was working with these people in Antioch resisted this move. He advocated that it was not necessary anymore for a believer in Jesus Christ to e marked with circumcision. Baptism has taken the place of circumcision as a sign that a person belonged to a special relationship with God. This controversy became heated and there was the danger of a schism within the early church.
How did the church handle this situation? The apostles and the elders of the church came together to Jerusalem and they had an open and frank discussion about the matter and the final decision was that what was essential to be saved was to be baptized and to live according to the values and teachings of Jesus Christ. The thing that strikes me most in this episode is how to Apostles and the Elders reached this decision. St Luke in the Book of Acts tells us how “It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to impose on you any burdens beyond the essentials”. The decision was reached through prayer which denotes a personal relationship with God and with a right relationship, respect and dignity for the collective wisdom that the Apostles and the Elders had for each other. This is the essence of peace. The peace that only Jesus can give.
What a great lesson for us. This is how we face our difficult and trying moments. Let us first of all remember that we are not alone. God is with us every step that we make and at every corner that we take. Wherever I am God is with me all the time, loving, forgiving, encouraging and healing me. I become more and more conscious of this the more time I spend with Him in prayer. Friendships do not happen automatically. They are nurtured patiently and steadfastly. God has already made his decision. “I have loved you with an everlasting love, and my love is constant for you”. (Jeremiah 31:3). We need to stand on this decision and hold onto it when we find ourselves in very tough situations.
It is also vital to have someone with whom we can share what we are going through. There needs to be people who besides being wise and have an experience of life, are also in the right relationship with God. We cannot carry the burden on our own. Ultimately we need to make the final decision ourselves. However, to arrive at a balanced discernment there is the need for us to be surrounded by people who will encourage and pray for us and with us.
I recall Kevin and Maureen, husband and wife, who three years ago were both diagnosed with cancer. I met them frequently at the hospital as they spent months under constant and life draining treatment. As their strength faded gradually and as the consequence of their illness started to become more evident and pronounced they became closer to one another. The last time that I saw them together was at their home. They were in two single beds side by side, holding each other’s hand. They could not talk much but that holding of the hands said so much. They still had the presence and the encouragement of one another. It was such a privilege to pray with them. I came away feeling so proud about our church which can give so much hope and a sense of strength and tranquility in the midst of sever difficulties.
In his book, “A Canopy of Stairs”, Fr Christopher Gleeson SJ has this reflection. “A sympathetic friend leaned close to a disabled woman and whispered, ‘Affliction does so colour life, doesn’t it?’ “Yes, the handicapped woman replied, but thank God I can choose the colour’. We may not always be able to escape the raw realities of life as they confront us, but with God’s help we can shape them. Faith doesn’t immunize us from difficulties”. This is the result of the peace that Jesus gives.
God Bless
