Peace of God Be with You

In today's Gospel for Tuesday of the fifth week of Easter, John 14: 27-31, Jesus says to his disciples, that is, to you and me, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid...I am going away and I will come back to you....I am going to the Father; ....I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me...."

"The ruler of the world is coming"!  The ruler of the world is Satan, who sows discord, jealousy, anger, prejudice, hatred, and division. Jesus says: "He has no power over me!" Neither does he have power over those who stay focused on Jesus, seek Jesus and follow Him unreservedly. We are able to do just that because  Jesus prayed for us.  He prayed that we would be one with Him as He and the Father are one and that we would carry on the work He did.  That is why He gave us His peace, saying: "My peace I give to you.....Do not let your hearts be troubled."  Filled with the peace of Jesus and of the Spirit, we are empowered to overcome fear and hatred, jealousy and anger and division.  Our union with others deepens as we foster our relationship with God in prayer and in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. Our union with God also deepens as we give our ourselves in  self-sacrificing love to one another throughout a given day!

You are a gift to Jesus from His Father

In today’s Gospel, John 17: 20-26, Jesus says to His Father, and ours:  “…they [you and I] are your gift to me.”  Hear Jesus saying to you: “You are the Father’s gift to me.”  All of us, young and old, married or unmarried, single or divorced, lesbian or homosexual, heterosexual or transsexual, white or black, Hispanic or Asian, Native American or African American or any other nationality, homeless or sheltered, mentally or physically ill, want to hear someone say to us: you are a gift to me. Every husband and wife wants to hear that from each other.   In today’s Gospel, it is Jesus saying to each one of us: You are a gift to me from my Father.  Each person, no matter how ugly we may think we are or we may think another is: Jesus says “You are a gift to Me from my Father.”  Jesus prays to the Father that we may “all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” What a prayer!   And it will not go unanswered! And again He prays:  “…may they  be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.”  Perfection will be ours and will be culminated in eternity. We are on the road, through Christ Jesus, that leads us to perfection in Him, through Him, and with Him.  What a glorious heritage, bought at the price of Jesus death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, from whence the Spirit of God is sent to dwell within each of us!

Praise God!