Daily Reflection – May 1, 2016
Sunday 1 May 2016
First Reading: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Responsorial Psalm:
O God, let all the nations praise you!
Psalm 66(67):2-3, 5-6, 8
Second Reading: Apocalypse 21:10-14, 22-23
Gospel Reading: John 14:23-29
Today’s Note: Sixth Sunday of Easter
Gospel Reading:
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.”
Reflection:
Peace I leave with you. (John 14:27)
Rarely is a passage from Scripture as Trinitarian as these few verses in today’s Gospel. This passage comes from Jesus’ farewell address at the Last Supper: the final words that he gave his disciples before he was arrested and crucified (John 13-17). In these five chapters, Jesus speaks at length about himself, his Father, and the Holy Spirit. He talks about how God wants to draw every single person into the life of the Trinity, and he talks about the peace that comes to everyone who welcomes him and his Father and the Spirit into their hearts.
Today’s passage contains many of the themes that we find in these five chapters: The Father loves us. He wants to make his home in the hearts of everyone who loves him and keeps his word. The Holy Spirit has come to teach us and to fill us with his own divine life.
There is so much in this short passage! So try to take some time today to read it a few times slowly and prayerfully. Take note of how much Jesus teaches about God’s love—in just a few verses. Then thank him for welcoming you into this love through each Person of the Trinity.
Even though the Trinity is a mystery of our faith, we don’t have to understand it perfectly to experience the peace that God wants to give us. Few of us know how a watch, a car, or a computer works. But that doesn’t keep us from reaping the benefits of these things. It’s the same with God. When Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you,” we don’t have to understand everything about that peace. We can just rest in this gift and let it fill our hearts.
This peace is not just a warm feeling. It’s the grace to be holy and to resist evil. It’s the grace to forgive. It’s the grace to remind us that God is with us and that we have nothing to fear (John 14:27). It’s the spiritual tranquility that comes from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is such a generous God!
“Jesus, I want to be filled with your peace now and always.”
