17 May 2022
Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
How much we desire peace! In the chaos of the world, in the business of our lives, in the hecticness of our homes, in the turmoil within our own hearts and minds; how much we desire peace. The great gift that Jesus offers to his disciples during the intimacy of his Last Supper discourses is peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” We know that the world certainly does not offer peace. So, if the Lord is offering us this gift, how do we appreciate it and experience it and live it? Well, the first reading for today from the Acts of the Apostles describes the rough times of Paul and Barnabas endured in their travels and work of spreading the Gospel. Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city, seemingly dead. We can sometimes feel the same way, when bombarded by the challenges of our lives. Yet, when Paul and Barnabas reached Antioch, they were able to celebrate with the disciples. The passage concludes with “then they spent no little time with the disciples.” If we want peace, we too need to spend time with the disciples of the Lord. We too need to spend time in prayer and with the community of believers, that is, the Church. Christ offered the divine peace which the world does not give to his disciples and it is when we come together as Christ’s disciples within our faith-based community when we too will experience Christ’s peace. We need to make time, spend time, relish the time in prayer and in community. Then, we can peacefully face even the toughest challenges with the faithful confidence that Christ is with us always.