Tuesday of the
Fifth Week of Easter
(Acts 14:19-28; John 14:27-31a)
What is this peace of Christ that is unlike any other? One biblical expert sees it as “being freed
from sin and united to God." Perhaps it
is the same composure that drives Paul onward to preach the Good News despite just
being stoned almost to death. Paul does
not harbor great resentment toward the Jews.
In fact, he maintains a great love for them. He writes later, “For I could wish that I
myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my
kin according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3).
The same peace is found among the families of the twenty-one
Coptic Egyptians whom ISIS martyred four years ago. The families proudly wear t-shirts with pictures
of their beloved in martyrs’ array – white robes and crowns superimposed on
their heads. The author of an article on
the martyrs has written provocative comments about the village where sixteen of the
martyrs lived. He says: “All the houses I visited shared one common
feature: The household was not in mourning. Condolences and expressions of
sympathy seemed out of place. They struck me as somehow elevated to another
plane.”
We are not likely to feel Christ’s peace because our
faith wavers. We wonder if the legacy
which the apostles have handed down is true.
We feel the cravings of sex and pride that our times offer. To feel that peace we must do as Jesus
preached from the beginning: “’Repent and believe…’”
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