My Peace I Give You

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Sixth Sunday of Easter Mass Readings

First Reading: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Psalm: Psalm 672-3, 5-6, 8
Second Reading: Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
Gospel: John 14:23-29

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” (John 14:27).

Today we continue to hear what is called the Farwell Discourse from Scripture. There is little time left and what does he tell the disciples? Peace. Even in today’s first reading from Acts 15, we seem to hear that message. After Paul’s first missionary journey, some of the Pharisees are concerned that the Gentiles are not being instructed in the Jewish faith. Remember at this point in history, Christianity is not separate from Judaism. It’s one of many different branches of the Jewish faith. So, some people are going behind Paul and Barnabas and confusing them and stressing them out. But in the midst of all that stress and commotion, the Apostles through their letter wish these communities peace.

Peace.

Jesus says this in today’s Gospel. Peace.

That’s a message I need to hear. How about you? Life can be so hectic – so busy. It seems from the second I wake up we’re racing about trying to get to this or to that. No wonder I feel exhausted at the end of the day! How about you? How many of us get so caught up in the stresses of life that we can barely see straight? Sometimes the world gets to spinning so fast that we’re not sure which way is up and which was is down. We want to connect with the Divine, but we can’t – we don’t know how, and we just don’t have time.

Some people get so caught up in the motions of life that so much of what they do seems blah. Perhaps they’re in a sort of a funk – I don’t know. But everything is blah. For some, they become disillusioned with their faith. I’ll hear people say, “Going to church really doesn’t do anything for me.” Yet, they hunger for something…

The we see it – maybe as a social media ad or a sign on the way to work – an invitation to hear a Buddhist talk about meditation. Sounds intriguing. Maybe we think the West got it all wrong. We’re too rigid or too programmed or too whatever, so our minds turn to the ancient religions and philosophies of the East. We reach out there in the desperate hope of finding peace. Meditation and a nice cup of tea with a bit of honey…sounds good, doesn’t it?

But you know, no outside force can make us find peace. In many ways, that’s why Jesus ascended instead of continuing to live among us. We have to find him – we have to find peace on our own. Is that mean? No, I think that’s just life – that’s just the way we’re wired. So while the Far East ad might sound intriguing and indeed some of the conversation you find there might be intersecting, in the end it cannot force peace upon, nor would it try.

Do you want to know something funny? Many of us in many different situations and circumstances leave home in search of ourselves or in search of something only to realize that what we long for or who we love has been right there at home all along. And the same is true with our faith.

Although we didn’t read it today, a little earlier in the Gospel passage read today in mass, John 14:2 says, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” And in today’s Gospel, in John 14:23 we hear, “Jesus answered and said to him, “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.”

So many people set out on a journey to find God, but God has been right here, right where we started from the whole time. St. Teresa of Avila, reflecting on this these pieces of the Gospel, called it the Interior Castle. She said we could think about soul like a castle made out of a diamond or very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms. The soul, then, deep within us is a paradise where we can dwell with the Lord. Our soul – within our very bodies – right here, right now. We don’t need to run off to the Himalayas in search of some hidden Buddhist monastery to make a connection with God. No! We simply need to quiet our selves and look inwards to find the Lord.

The very heart of Christian meditation and contemplation is a journey within to experience the Lord. That’s peace!

Homework! Today, I want to prescribe some very different homework today. I’d like to invite you to spend just a few minutes in prayerful meditation. Don’t get hung up on the vocabulary or the process. There are lots of great resources out on this form of prayer – whether you call it centering prayer, or meditation or contemplation. In truth they’re all slightly different. Maybe I’ll dedicate an entire episode to this topic for now, let’s try this quiet form of prayer. Now, our minds – at least mine – is always racing.

There are always thoughts racing from here to there and back again. I suspect I’m not the only one. We need to find a way to gently push these thoughts aside and pull ourselves back to the exercise. Picture yourself floating in a swimming pool and some other floating toy is making its way toward you. If you overreact, you could flip into the water. So instead, we just gently push the other toy away. That’s what I want us to picture with our thoughts too. We’re just going to gently push thoughts away.

To pull ourselves back to prayer, many people find it helpful to have something more tangible. Perhaps you can focus on your breathing? Or perhaps you could hold a rosary and change which bead you’re holding? Or perhaps you could pick a word to help pull you back? Some people might simply say the name, “Jesus.” Ok, ready? Let’s give it a try. We’re actually going to try this exercise just for 1 minute. For this exercise, our symbol will be the name Jesus.

1. Pick a quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed for the next few minutes.
2. Set a timer on your phone. Maybe start out with 3 minutes.
3. Choose a word or symbol or your breathing to help pull yourself into prayer. Whatever you choose, say to yourself that this word or symbol or breath is my consent to God’s presence during this prayer. For our exercise, we’re using the name Jesus.
4. Sitting comfortably, take 2 or 3 deep breaths. Feel the tension in your shoulders melt away. Then gently close your eyes and introduce the word or symbol or breath.
5. If a distracting thought enters, don’t get frustrated and angry with yourself. It’s perfectly normal. Just imagine yourself pushing it away as easily as if you were pushing something in a swimming pool and in your mind quietly say the name Jesus.
6. If another thought comes, quietly say the name Jesus.
7. Now when you’re ready, I want you to open your eyes.

What did you think? Sitting quietly is not easy, is it. I find this very helpful especially during adoration, but you can do this just about anywhere. I encourage you to try this exercise a few times this week. As you become more comfortable, perhaps you could add a couple more minutes to your timer. People who use contemplative prayer will often try two times a day for twenty minutes each time, but just take baby steps. I’d love to know your thoughts. Leave a comment the website or send me an email to deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

Got it? Get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!