SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
25 MAY 2025
Jesus
is speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper. He is trying to prepare them for his
betrayal, death, and resurrection. What
we hear today is known as his “farewell discourse.” In bidding farewell to them, he assures them
that they will not be alone after his physical departure. He tells them not to be troubled or afraid, because
the Father will give the gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will be
present to them. Jesus leaves them with
the gift of peace – not the peace the world gives, but the gift Jesus himself
gives.
The world
thinks of peace in terms of an absence of conflict. The peace that Jesus gives is much more
profound and does not avoid conflict, pain, or suffering. In fact, Jesus exhibits that peace when he is
betrayed, faces an unjust trial, is crucified, and enters death. His peace comes from his intimate
relationship with his Father. We can see
that peace in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The early Church faces its first great
conflict, as it grows beyond its Jewish roots to include non-Jews. For their entire lives, Jews were careful
about avoiding certain foods. According
to the law of Moses, all males were circumcised. To avoid contamination, they avoided all
contact with non-Jews. When the Jewish
Christians hear that Paul and Barnabas have been baptizing gentiles, they insist
that they must follow the Law of Moses. In
this huge controversy, the peace of Christ does not keep them from arguing
among themselves. Through the presence
of the Holy Spirit, the gift of peace enables them to decide. Gentile converts are not required to follow
the Law of Moses. However out of charity
for the sensitivities of their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, they
should restrict their freedom by not buying meat at the market that had been
sacrificed to idols, from any kind of blood, meats of strangled animals, and
from unlawful marriage.
This same
gift of peace is given to us. It does
not prevent arguments or pain or suffering.
However, that the gift of peace establishes a close relationship with
the Father. If we are open to the
workings of the Holy Spirit, the gift of peace gets us through some very
difficult situations. Over the years, I
have come to be grateful for that gift in my life. When I was ordained, I had thought that the
most difficult promise would be my promise to be a celibate for the rest of my
life. Instead, the most difficult
promise has been the promise to respect and obey the Bishop and his
successors. Every time I have kept that
promise, moving from one assignment to another has been terribly
difficult. When Bishop McManus moved me
from being chaplain at Marian High School to being pastor of Saint Paul of the
Cross in Columbia City, I was crushed. I
did not know what pastors did, and living in a small town was a challenge. I knew it was not very smart to tell parishioners
that I did not want to be there. So, I
pretended to be happy. At the end of my
first year, I helped to paint the rectory.
Up on a ladder painting the gable, I looked down to see all the men
painting the rectory and doing the trim work.
The women and the kids were setting up tables for a homecooked meal,
complete with a barrel of beer. I
accepted the gift of Christ’s peace and served the rest of my pastorate with
gratitude and enthusiasm.
The first
reading gives a vision of the new heavens and new earth after the end of
time. The vision gives very precise
information about the heavenly Jerusalem.
In the vision, there is no temple, which would have been the center of Jerusalem,
where people would have recognized the dwelling of God in their midst. There is no temple in the new and eternal city
of Jerusalem, because inhabitants will see God face to face. That vision is a promise that we will see God
face to face, because we have a personal relationship with the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit now. This is the
peace which the world cannot give!
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