[Acts 15:1-2,22-29; Psalm 66; Revelation 21:10-14,22-23; John 14:23-29]
When I take Holy Communion to people who are housebound or sick, I have a choice of Gospel reading to use from the little prayer book I use. When I go into where the person is I often have a chat with them prior to the Communion service. It is during this chat that I am listening to determine which Gospel reading to use. Recently the most common reading I have been using is from John 14:27 “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” This is part of our Gospel reading today.
Often the people who are housebound or sick, have very few visitors, they see the news on TV or hear it on the radio, and it can trouble them. Having few visitors means that they have more time to think about what they are hearing and seeing, and they are given the gift of seeing how serious some of the situations in the world actually are. Those of us who are rushing around in our own busyness do not have that opportunity, which means some of the news items which are particularly serious pass us by; as we believe it doesn’t affect us.
We have been hearing about the troubles in the Middle East for decades and the conflict in Ukraine for more than 3 years now, and these news stories, whilst we accept them as serious issues, can almost appear to be on a continuous loop where we hear of 100 people killed overnight or so many drones attacking on another night. We hear of these atrocities so often they are no longer shocking, as we are in danger of becoming desensitised to them. Meanwhile, we get on with our busyness. These conflicts are far away, we may think that they do not affect us, our daily life can continue almost as if we live in a different world.
In today’s Gospel we also hear Jesus give three important messages: the first is that if we love Him, we will keep his word. The second is that when He is no longer with us, He will send the Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us of what He taught us and the third thing was that He would give us His peace; adding that His peace was not the type of peace the world gives. I would like to suggest that in our country, we have the type of peace the world gives. Most of us live in a world free of violence, however, that is not true for everyone. Some people may see freedom from violence as peace, but it is much more than that too. The peace Jesus gives us is peace in our hearts and in our minds, it is a taste of what heaven will be like, because it is only when we reach the promised land that we will reach eternal peace where nothing or no-one can cause us any sort of trouble or anxiety again. The peace that Jesus gives isn’t just about peace for us, but it is knowing that all of our brothers and sisters are living in peace too. In offering us this gift of peace, Jesus is fulfilling yet another prophecy from the prophet Isaiah, who said in chapter 26 verse 12 ‘O LORD you will ordain peace for us, for indeed, all that we have done, you have done for us.’
When we offer each other the sign of peace at Mass, today, let us remind ourselves that, it is this peace, the Peace of Christ, we are sharing. We are saying to those we greet, in a very conscious way, that we want their hearts to be filled with Christ’s love so that their hearts are no longer troubled and that they will have nothing to be afraid of.
These words spoken at a time when Jesus must have been anxious, are a comfort to all who suffer. Jesus knew that He was about to be taken and brutally killed, and yet He was telling the apostles ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.’ Jesus continued to teach right up until His dying breath and just in case we forget anything; He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us remember and to continue teaching us.
We heard in the 1st reading from the Acts of the Apostles, that there was great debate around certain practices from the Hebrew Faith and whether they should be continued in the early Christian Church. The decision taken by the early leaders of the Church, following a period of discernment and prayer to the Holy Spirit and conveyed to the Christians in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia, confirmed that the Christian Church still had its roots in the Hebrew Faith; but that through the New Covenant some of the traditional customs and practices were no longer necessary for people to be saved. Through the Paschal mystery the roots of the faith remain, but now it would be taking a different direction. Now all mankind can be saved; not just the Jews, now everyone could become part of the Chosen people.
Note that these decisions were not taken by the men alone; they invoked the Holy Spirit. This same Holy Spirit promised by Jesus as our Advocate to the Father. The account given in the First Reading is one of the earliest examples of this Advocacy in action. The apostles trusted completely what Jesus had told them throughout his Ministry and because they trusted Him and loved Him they were able to build His Church.
We also hear in the 2nd reading a continuation of the description of the New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ begun in last week’s reading. It is a vast place, bejewelled with precious stones, it is a place with no need for a temple, nor sunlight nor the light of the moon because it is basking in the glory of God the eternal goal for the whole of creation to return to the Creator. This is the place where true and lasting peace can be found, this is the place where love dwells and where we all hope to see God face to face.
Further Reading
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
Sixth Sunday of Easter
CCC 2746-2751: Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper
CCC 243, 388, 692, 729, 1433, 1848: the Holy Spirit as Advocate/Consoler
CCC 1965-1974: the New Law fulfills the Old
CCC 865, 869, 1045, 1090, 1198, 2016: the heavenly Jerusalem
Please keep in your prayers this week
- The sick and housebound, those who are dying and those who are grieving.
- Father Jean-Patrice that he makes a full recovery.
- The continued fight to protect all life from conception until natural death.
- Lemachi, who will be baptised at St Bede’s this weekend.
- The safety of all of those on a half-term break from our schools
Deacon Tony, 24th May 2025