Homilies

6th SUNDAY OF EASTER: THE GIFT OF PEACE

THE GOSPEL PASSAGE is part of the farewell discourse of Jesus. Humanly speaking, saying goodbye has not been easy, and hearing somebody leaving can also be hard to bear. Jesus said his farewell to his disciples, and we understand the occasion was exceedingly difficult for them to accept. Without Jesus, the future of their community can be bleak, and perhaps, without meaning. But Jesus did something and left something for his disciples to assure of his continuing presence with them.

First, Jesus shows to his disciples that his departure would not mean an end to their relationship. Instead, their relationship continues. How? Jesus said to them, “Whoever loves me will keep my word…” So, the key to a lasting relationship with Jesus is our adherence to his word. He also promises that those who keep his word will be loved too by his Father and “make our dwelling with him.” The word or words of Jesus are now being enshrined in the Bible. We have an easy access to his Word because we can read it anytime or we can hear it each time we join in the celebration of the Eucharist. But certainly reading or listening is different from keeping. Jesus expects his disciples to keep or obey his words. 

It has been said clear by Jesus that obeying his word is a demonstration of our love for him. Therefore, there has to be some seriousness in keeping these. The Word of Jesus has been entrusted to the Church, and the latter continues to preach his word. But the question is this, is everyone listening?

Second, Jesus leaves a lasting gift to his disciples, that is, his peace. He said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” This peace means communion with God, and Jesus is actually the peace himself because he is the bond of communion. This peace is a confidence of being loved and an assurance that God can be trusted in hard times. This is the kind of peace that Jesus gives to his disciples.

It has been clarified by Jesus that this peace is precisely “not as the world gives do I give to you.” The world simply understands peace as an absence of war or avoidance of conflicts. This sort of peace can be volatile and cannot last long. As an example, how many “peace talks” have been conducted by governments for the Middle East? There have been many of them fo the last two decades. But until now, that peace remains elusive.

For us believers, we know that peace can only be attained if we commune ourselves with God. We may hear testimonies from our friends saying that when they distanced themselves with God, their life became so miserable. But now when they come back and commune with God, their lives become orderly and with direction. They have attained peace, inner peace, in other words. Thus, true peace can be attained only if we cling ourselves with God. As St Paul would say, Christ is our peace. Ultimately, he is the “Prince of Peace.”

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