Sunday, May 25, 2025

 

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

(Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29)

Worldly peace and the peace of Christ have been differentiated throughout the centuries. We have heard how worldly peace is superficial, how it does not last long, and how it can be shaken by conflicts and setbacks. In contrast, the peace of Christ reaches the heart, brings confidence, and is not easily lost.

If worldly peace were so fragile, who would not choose the peace of Christ? However, we know that worldly peace also brings benefits. The cessation of heated arguments gives adversaries time to reconsider their goals. A safe and comfortable place also relieves the tensions that drain an individual's energy and good humor. Worldly peace sometimes accompanies a genuine commitment to coexistence, if not mutual respect.

We could offer the cell phone as a symbol of worldly peace. Many people today have become attached to their cell phones so that they don't go anywhere without them. It provides them with the security of having what they feel is necessary to avoid anxiety and maintain equanimity. When they feel alone, it puts them in touch with their friends. When they are lost, it guides them to their destination. And when they are unsure about a fact or a process, it provides information in seconds. And these are just a few examples of the advantages of having a cell phone.

However, there are limits to the cell phone. It brings a sense of peace until it is lost, misplaced, the battery runs out, or there are problems with the internet provider. When setbacks like these occur, peace quickly gives way to anxiety. This is not a reason to abort the cell phone, but to seek something deeper that stabilizes peace.

In the Gospel, Jesus offers friendship with himself to support the conditional peace of the cell phone and the other sources of peace. He embraces this peace so that we can face any challenge with confidence. The peace of Christ is knowing, like a child in her father's arms, that everything will turn out well. It is the assurance that, whatever may come, even death, Christ will deliver us from the evil we experience.

The Hebrew language has the word shalom to express the peace of Christ. More than a cessation of hostilities, shalom means prosperity, fulfillment, and harmony even in war. Shalom is the assurance that, through the superior resources we have, we will overcome all challenges. Whether it be illness, enemies, or other adversity, we will not lose but will prevail in the end.

Christ shows us how we can access his peace. By keeping his commandments, especially the commandment to love one another, he will come with the Father to dwell within us. It's like having the chief of police in the house when we receive a security threat. As Saint Paul writes to Timothy: “If we died with him, we will live with him; if we endure, we will reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:11b-12a).

We don't have to choose between the peace of the world and the peace of Christ. In fact, we need both. Cell phones are very useful, but they can't provide us with the courage to face the loss of resources, much less death. When we are fighting against evil, we want the shalom of Christ. It gives us the strength to overcome every threat of evil.

Sunday, May 22, 2022

 THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

(Acts 15:1-2.22-29; Revelation 21:10-14.22-23; John 14:23-29)

In one story two drivers arrive at the parking lot at the same time. There is space for only one car. The men begin to argue over who will get the place. Then one man pulls out a gun and shoots the other. A boy who sees the crime asks, “Was a man really killed for a parking space?” It wasn't just for a parking lot. There was more at stake than this.

Most probably we are not going to kill another person for a parking lot. However, anger can move us to do things that we will regret. Words thrown in anger can cause the loss of friends. We can hurt a child mentally if not physically by a blow delivered in anger. How is it that anger can get out of control even with us?

When we perceive an injustice, we react with anger. Therefore, anger is not necessarily bad. Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been energized by anger. Their efforts have resulted in a greater awareness of responsibility when we drive. However, sometimes we miss the correct perception of injustice. Because of pride, we think that if something becomes inconvenient for me, it is an injustice. Out of pride we are inclined to get angry at the driver in front of us driving the legal limit. Pride makes us consider ourselves better than we really are.

Somehow we have to conquer pride so that we don't get angry unjustly. In fact, by overcoming pride we can control all strong emotions or, better to say, passions. We have to overcome pride -- the love of self -- so that we don't seek someone else's woman or man. We have to control our pride so that we don't get too much sun on the beach. In the gospel today Jesus gives us the key to control pride.

He is responding to a disciple's concern: “'Why are you going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?'” Jesus says that he reveals himself to his disciples because they love him and keep his commandments. To control pride, the love of self, we have to love Jesus above all. This is not difficult because he is the perfect person. Most of us recognize our mother or father as more generous or wiser than we are. From our knowledge of Jesus in the gospels we must say that he is even better. He deserves our love and obedience.

But it is not by our own efforts alone that we control pride, anger, and the other passions. Jesus helps us with his peace. It is not the transitory peace that we feel at the end of one day but vanishes like a dream the next. No, the peace that Jesus offers us is the peace that no pain, no difficulty can steal from us. It is the peace of knowing that our destiny is eternal life with him. Once because of the threat of a winter storm, a university announced that it was going to close a few days before the end of the semester. A college girl from a place far from the university stayed in the dorm. Her classmates asked her how she was going to get home. She replied that her father promised to pick her up. "But he can't get here in the middle of a snowfall," her friends objected. She replied, "I just know that if father told me he was going to come for me, he will come." We are even more certain that Jesus will come to give us eternal life. Nothing else counts for much when we have the peace that comes with the guarantee of eternal life.

How to conquer anger? We have heard of home remedies like going outside and yelling as loudly as possible. But Jesus offers us a simpler and more effective solution. We will conquer anger and all other passions when we accept his peace. It is the guarantee of a parking space in eternal life. It is the overcoming of pride by recognizing Jesus as better than us. It is to have him as a friend forever.