'Peace I leave with you'. Sixth Sunday of Easter Year C, 9 May 2010
Submitted by FatherSean on Sat, 05/08/2010 - 10:54.
Readings
New American Bible (Philippines, USA)
Jerusalem Bible (Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland)
The Last Supper, Simon Vouet, painted 1615-20
Gospel John 14: 23-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”
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Council of Jerusalem, the Advocate, and Pastoral Strategy
Biblical Reflection for 6th Sunday of Easter C
By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB
TORONTO, MAY 4, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The early Church community in Jerusalem was not without its problems! Several of the controversies are evident in today's first reading from Chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles.
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John Farrell OP
Today's readings relate to the past, the present and the future of Christ's people. The first reading gives us the moment in the earliest days of he Church when the Jewish-Christian followers of the Risen Lord opened the Church to non-Jewish disciples, the likes of most of us. In their closeness to the Holy Spirit of God they can say 'It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us'.
The second reading gives us a vision of that same closeness between God and his people at the final culmination of the Church. There will be no need of a temple in the new city of God because 'the Lord God and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need sun or moon for light since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it'.
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Sunday Reflection with Fr Terry Tastard - 9 May 2010
Fishing boat on Sea of Galilee, 1898
Most of the time we would like more peace. Yet we live in a world of tension. Even the closest of families sometimes have to deal with eruptions of anger. The most loving spouses can be at loggerheads. Friends and neighbours can fall out. On a larger scale we know of conflict and war in the world. In the Church itself we find disagreements which can be painful at times, and the media love to portray us as divided between conservative and liberal. Does this mean that we are on the wrong track? After all, Jesus promised that he would give us peace.
Peace is much more than the absence of conflict. To be free of conflict might mean that nothing much is happening in your life. The peace that Christ gives us is something deeper and richer. It comes from knowing that Christ is there in our heart, giving us the peace that ‘surpasses all understanding’ (Phil. 4.7).
This means that peace can be present even in times of tension and disagreement. In the gospel today, Jesus tells his disciples that he will give them ‘a peace the world cannot give’. Jesus understands that there will be turmoil ahead. The cross awaits him, and the disciples will feel lost. But for those who keep their hearts open to him, there will be a peace that can make itself felt even in times of turbulence. In this sense, peace can be like an anchor. On the water, the ship moves up and down in a heavy swell. But it is securely anchored, and in that knowledge there is peace.
Sometimes disagreements are part of reaching peace. To arrive at the truth sometimes needs that differences have to be aired, discussed, and worked through. This can be an uncomfortable process, and we often prefer an easy life, avoiding the issues that divide or create tension. But the first reading today from Acts 15 should make us think again. It tells us that there was been strong disagreement within the first Christian communities about how much of the Jewish religious law they should observe. Tempers have flared over this. But notice the direction that they take. They move from argument, to discussion, and then from discussion to consensus, and from consensus to compromise.
Let’s look at this in more detail. As they quickly discovered at Antioch, argument is usually fruitless, because each party is insisting on its own way. For the community to move ahead they had to discuss their differences in a more mutually respectful atmosphere. This was helped by the fact that they brought these disagreements to God, asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Finally, they came to a common mind based on a compromise. In all this there was a deep concern for the unity of the community, and for the common good. In the aftermath of the British election, this crisis within the early Church and its resolution offers us important lessons. From argument to discussion; from discussion to consensus; and from consensus to compromise, in which essentials were safeguarded and the community stayed united and working together.
Fr Terry is Parish Priest at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Brook Green, west London. His new book: Ronald Knox and English Catholicism is published by Gracewing at £12.99 and is available on Amazon, from religious booksellers and from the publisher. For more information see: www.holytrinityw6.org
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