Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
(Acts 14:19-28; John 14:27-31a)
Most Americans are aware of Adolph Hitler’s false promise of
peace to English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain before World War II. Far fewer realize that the United States
government made a similar bogus promise to the Sioux Nation in 1868. In the Treaty of Fort Laramie the U.S.
government promised the Sioux a reservation that included the Black Hills. Then, after gold was discovered in the Black
Hills. Congress unilaterally abrogated that treaty. The point here is not to condemn the United
States, but to show how tenuous peace is among humans.
For this reason Jesus tells his disciples in today’s gospel
that the peace he gives is not like the world’s peace. His peace is the shalom of closeness
to God. Its surety might be compared to
the security a child feels sleeping between his parents. Jesus can promise this peace because in dying
to redeem the People, he carries out his Father’s will.
We should be wary of false promises of peace in our
day. A home in the country, a cruise in
the Mediterranean, or a luxury SUV may turn into a nightmare. But when we put our trust in God, we will not
end disappointed.
