The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to accept the peace that our relationship with Jesus offers through the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the return of Paul and Barnabas to Antioch in Syria
* [14:23] They appointed presbyters: the communities are given their own religious leaders by the traveling missionaries. The structure in these churches is patterned on the model of the Jerusalem community (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 5, 22; 21:18). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
Psalm 145 praises the Greatness and the Goodness of God.
* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises to leave Peace with us.
* [14:27] Peace: the traditional Hebrew salutation šālôm; but Jesus’ “Shalom” is a gift of salvation, connoting the bounty of messianic blessing. (John, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
Steve Scholer comments that Jesus provides us with two of the most comforting thoughts about the here and now and about our future that are found in the Bible.
The first is in his the phrase, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you,” is rich with meaning. To me, the peace that Christ left his disciples was not peace of mind, peace and quiet, to rest in peace or keeps the peace. No, it was much deeper. For the peace Jesus gave his disciples and likewise to each of us was the peace that passes all understanding. A peace that allows us to conquer all of our fears worries and anguish because we know that God’s love is with us always. Peace, knowing that the hand of God is constantly on our shoulder; helping us, guiding us and supporting us whenever we feel the need to call upon him. So in times of stress, tension and turmoil remember the great inheritance Christ left us through these powerful words, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. (Scholer, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The Following of Christ,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Come, follow Me, says the Lord. Do you love? He has hastened on, He has flown on ahead. Look and see where. O Christian, don't you know where your Lord has gone? I ask you: Don't you wish to follow Him there? Through trials, insults, the cross, and death. Why do you hesitate? Look, the way has been shown you." (excerpt from Sermon 345,6) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 14:27-31 comments that turning to Jesus is our wisest course of action when worries occupy our thoughts or anxieties wake us up at night.
And what if we don’t “feel” more peaceful? That’s where faith comes in. Recall who you are as a child of God. Recall the attributes of your heavenly Father. Believe that he won’t give you a stone if you ask for a piece of bread (Matthew 7:9). Your troubles won’t automatically disappear, but it will be harder for fear or anxiety to consume you. Don’t settle for a temporary peace! Jesus came to establish his peace as a permanent, trustworthy refuge for you no matter what your situation may be. What problems are you facing today? Turn them over to Jesus. Trust in his promise to be with you always. Ask him for the peace that endures to eternal life. “Lord, help me to trust in your presence and your promises. Jesus, I need your peace!” (Meditation on John 14:27-31, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the joy of Paul and Barnabas as they continue a journey of success and persecution. The presbyters mentioned in Acts become the tripartite hierarchy mentioned in the writing of Ignatius of Antioch. Friar Jude reminds us of the peace of Christ that is not like the false peace in the distractions of the world.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Lisa Colón DeLay, who offers insight into the origins of contemplative prayer, which include the experience of God beyond what we know.
Sometimes other names can help disrupt our hardened and limited concepts of God: Divine Love, Mystery, Source. Apophatic theology, seen most fully within Eastern Orthodox Christianity, invites the spiritually devoted beyond limitations and known categories to ways that make room for what we don’t know and cannot comprehend about the Divine. The prayer of quiet draws us ever deeper into the Mystery that is worth growing familiar with but is ultimately unknowable in its totality. There is a boundlessness of the One who we, in English, sometimes call God, and apophatic prayer may lead us into that unknowing to experience the divine beyond what we know. [1]
Our experience of peace, especially in times of conflict and stress, reaffirms the blessing of our relationship with Jesus through the Presence of His Spirit. (Colón, 2022)
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/14?19
Colón, L. (2022, May 17). The God Beyond What We Know — Center for Action and Contemplation. Richard Rohr. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-god-beyond-what-we-know-2022-05-17/
John, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?27
Meditation on John 14:27-31. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/05/17/383248/
Psalms, PSALM 145. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?10
Scholer, S. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/051722.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=may17
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