Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 - Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Easter
[Acts 14:19-28 and John 14:27-31]Peace I leave with you' my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
These words should be familiar to us because they are part of the prayer of the Church just after the OUR FATHER at Mass and just before the SIGN OF PEACE. The great American scripture scholar of the Gospel of John, Fr. Raymond Brown, SS, puts it well: "The peace of which Jesus speaks has nothing to do with the absence of warfare..., nor with an end to psychological tension, nor with a sentimental feeling of well-being." What Jesus is referring to here is first of all himself as the peace of the believer. Secondly he is referring to the "Paraclete," the Holy Spirit which will come after he is gone. The role of the Holy Spirit in the "Johannine" tradition of the New Testament is one which differs somewhat from the role that St. Luke gives it in the Acts of the Apostles where it is a motivating and animating force. In John, the Holy Spirit is the abiding presence of the Lord in the church and the teacher of truth, which is Jesus! This is meant to comfort and give peace because Jesus is no longer physically present. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus assures the reader that the one who believes in him HAS eternal life. Therefore, the presence of the Holy Spirit continues that presence of Jesus which gives comfort. This does not mean an absence of conflict or troubles. It means that the "world" cannot overcome our faith if we but continue to believe in Jesus and in the One who sent him.. AMEN
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