May 26, 2019 6th Sunday of Easter - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
Peace be with you. (And with your Spirit?)
If there has been one recurring theme to all of the readings throughout the Easter season, and especially in Jesus’ appearances after the Resurrection, it has to be the overwhelming desire of God for us to be at peace. Not an earthly peace that comes from a lack of armed conflict, but one of trust in God and faith in His Divine Love, which leads to peace within our hearts.
And in the midst of the troubles that we face in the world, in our lives – in our Church – peace, at least an Earthly peace – is elusive at best. There are so many challenges that we face in our lives that sometimes it seems impossible to be at peace.
It might seem like a coincidence that today’s readings intersect with the holiday that we celebrate this weekend – Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a day in which we remember those who gave their lives protecting us and seeking peace while serving in the military. Initially celebrated after the Civil War, it became an official federal holiday in 1971. But they do serve to remind us that the price of serving God and His people often comes with a price.
For those who have lost loved ones in any of the armed conflicts around the world during the last 100 years, Monday will have a special place in our hearts. And between the beer, brats and burgers, we will try to find some peace and joy with those we love. But it is hard to be at peace when we still carry the scars and the pains of loss, whether from the external battles of war or the unseen battles we wage within our minds and our hearts.
Yet that is just what Jesus is offering to us, just as He did to His disciples in today’s Gospel. “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.”
Today’s Gospel comes from the first part of St. John’s Last Supper Discourses that begins with Chapter 14. The chapter begins with “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me”, and comes after Jesus has washed the feet of His disciples and Judas Iscariot has left to betray him. The disciples have to have a sense of foreboding as Jesus has repeatedly warned them of the troubles that awaited him in Jerusalem – and here they are.
Now, think about the people that St. John is writing to, and why. John’s Gospel is not meant to be a historical reference book. It is thought that it was written in the 90’s, and that’s 60 years since Jesus had been crucified, died, arose and ascended. The Jewish temple has already been destroyed by the Romans, and the early Christians were being persecuted by both the Jews and the Romans. John’s community was being persecuted at the time this was written, and they probably needed reassurance, or at least an understanding, that what they were experiencing had meaning.
Is it so very different today? In our own lives, are we at peace? Or, are we at war? There seems to be no peace in our world, our country, our Church, or even in our families. Where’s this “peace” that Jesus has left with us?
“Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”
All this last week, beginning with Monday’s Gospel which is basically the same as today, we’ve been listening to Jesus’ pep talk to his disciples. Even though John will continue for three more chapters before Jesus gets to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane, the recurring theme of reassurance and encouragement will continue to reinforce the sense of heavenly peace versus an earthly one and could have easily ended with the two verses, 30 and 31, which immediately follow today’s Gospel reading: “I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go.”
Jesus tells us today, just like then, that there will be storms in our lives. There will be wars. There will be times when it seems like the world is crashing down on us. There will be times when we grieve the loss of those we love.
Jesus said, “I am going away and I will come back to you.” This passage, often used for funerals, reminds us that for those who trust in God, God is there for us.
At the end of Mass I, as the Deacon (or the priest if no deacon is present), will dismiss the people with:
- Go Forth, the Mass is ended.
- Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
- Go in Peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
- Go in Peace.
God is Good. All the Time. All we have to do is Follow Him.
As Jesus said, “Get up, let us go.”
