Sunday Reflection, May 13

Scripture Readings:
Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29
Psalm 67
Revelation 21: 10-14, 22-23
John 14: 23-29

I was struck by the words of Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.”  Saint Augustine once remarked that everyone, no matter how good or evil they may be, longs for peace. This gift of peace is a grace that we particularly celebrate during the Easter season.

I was thinking about these Gospel words as I listened to a talk given earlier this week by John Danforth, formerly a United States Senator from Missouri, ambassador to the United Nations, and special envoy to The Sudan. Senator Danforth spoke about the challenge of peacemaking in today’s world, a world he described as polarized along ethnic and religious lines. He reflected on peacemaking particularly in light of his efforts to broker an agreement between warring factions in The Sudan. Danforth challenged people of faith to take the lead in promoting dialogue among people of different religious traditions, a challenge that has also been articulated by Pope Benedict XVI. He stressed that peacemaking is work. It is a laborious process that requires strong commitment on the part of all who are involved in it.

As Christians we believe that peace is a gift from God in Christ. At the same time, it is a task that demands committed effort on our part. Pope Paul VI is credited with a famous statement that we sometimes see on posters or bumper stickers: “If you want peace, work for justice.”  This statement echoes what Senator Danforth was trying to emphasize in his talk. A true, lasting peace requires much more than just the absence of conflict. It is more than an indefinite cease-fire. If peace is to grow in our world, people must work very diligently for a world order marked by just relations between peoples. We need to strive for relations in which the legitimate concerns and the rights of others receive attention, where respect for human dignity is fostered, and where people are made to feel more secure. These efforts, of course, must include the struggle for greater economic justice in a world in which many people lack the basic necessities of life. The goods of this earth must be shared more equitably if genuine peace is to be a possibility.

I believe that the axiom expressed by Paul VI also applies to our relationships in the family, with friends and coworkers. We know well that genuine peace in our relationships with others involves more than just the absence of conflict. It means wholeness, the flourishing and deepening of our bonds with others. The attainment of such peace in our relationships also requires work for justice. There must be a genuine give-and-take if our bonds with others are to deepen. These relationships need to be built on mutual respect and the willingness to go beyond oneself in order to listen to the other person and to recognize his or her needs and aspirations. Peace comes to relationships when each person demonstrates concern for the well-being of the other.  This mutual concern leads to a deeper sense of personal security that is the basis for peace.

I believe that a similar dynamic is at work in our quest for interior peace. If we are to grow in our sense of inner peace, it is important for each of us develop a deepening sense of personal security.  It is that inner security that enables us to weather conflict more graciously. Such personal security comes from a more profound awareness of our own worth, our own value and dignity as persons. It emerges from the ability to look honestly and reverently at oneself, to recognize one’s gifts and goodness, and even to come to terms with one’s weaknesses and failures. Forging that sense of inner security is a lifelong task, one that requires a lot of honest reflection and that sometimes means facing the pain of the past. The insights and tools of sound psychology can help us in this quest.

As people of faith in Jesus Christ, we believe that there is a much greater source of this inner peace than is available simply by rational reflection or even by good psychology. In the Gospel for this Sunday, before Jesus speaks his word of peace to his disciples he tells them that those who follow him in faith and love will become dwelling places of the Father and the Son. Christ will make his home within them. If you really think about it, that is a remarkable promise! But we believe that it is in fact a reality. The risen Christ, through his Spirit, dwells within us. No matter where we find ourselves in life, the indwelling presence of Christ is an abiding source of personal security for us. His presence is the real foundation of our interior peace. That inner peace grows the more we realize that this Lord who knows me better than I know myself really does love me, and he dwells within me. I have a worth in his eyes that is beyond my comprehension. This is the source of that peace which surpasses all understanding, the peace that the world cannot give. This conviction is not a “magical potion” that solves all of our problems or replaces other kinds of personal or professional help we may need. But the Lord’s abiding presence within us is a continual invitation to grow in love of him and to come to a deeper insight into how much we are loved by him. When you meet someone who has touched that, you inevitably find a person who is at peace, even in the midst of external conflict.

The reading from the Book of Revelation puts before us a magnificent vision of the fulfillment of all creation in God. It presents the image of the heavenly Jerusalem coming down from God. This is a city that gleams with splendor; it has the radiance of a precious jewel. This gleam comes not from sun or moon but from the radiance of Christ, the Lamb of God. In a sense, each of us is invited to become like this heavenly Jerusalem, gleaming with splendor. We are called to exude the radiance of a precious jewel, because each of us is of inestimable worth in the eyes of God. It is Christ, dwelling within us, who is the light of our lives. May we allow the light of Christ to shine so that others may be illumined by its glow.

Robin Ryan, CP