Daily Retreat 05/16/06

2006 May 16 Tue: Easter Weekday

Acts 14: 19-28/ Ps 144(145): 10-11. 12-13ab. 21/ Jn 14: 27-31a

From today’s readings: "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.... Let all Your works give You thanks, O LORD, and let Your faithful ones bless You.... 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."

The Gift of Peace

One of the aspects of authentic Christianity that appeals to believers and unbelievers alike is the commitment to peace. But, as Christ Himself explains, "Not as the world gives, do I give [peace] to you."

At the most primitive level, peace can be defined as "the absence of war or hostilities." While Jesus certainly condemns wanton violence, He never advocated the type of radically compromising pacifism that would grasp for peace even at the price of principle - if necessary, Jesus is reconciled to being the source of division in order to put an end to such false peace (cf. Luke 12:51).

We can also speak of interior peace, the freedom from all disturbances. Here again, the world offers a pseudo-brand of such peace, for example, in the form of euphoric pop psychology which would anesthetize even the legitimate pricks of conscience.

But the peace that Jesus gives is more than the world can give, for it is the peace that He Himself possessed! At every moment, Jesus was fully aware of God the Father’s love and providence, which infinitely outweigh all troubles and fears. Even in the midst of bitter exterior cold, one can bundle up in a cozy coat, and look ahead to a warm hearth of welcome, and likewise, even when faced with the most perturbing threats and problems of this life, we can take comfort in the peace that Jesus gives His followers in this life, and the fullness of peace to which He calls us in the next life.