Homily: 5th Week of Easter - Tuesday - Peace, not as the world gives

There is a special blessing that the priest gives only during the rites of Christian burial—the funeral rites.  He says, “may the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians speaks of this “peace of God, which is beyond all understanding”, and the Lord himself speaks of this same peace in the Gospel today: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” 

The peace that comes from Jesus Christ is quite different from the peace which comes from the world.  For the world, peace is a feeling of contentment—that everything is alright, everything’s fine.  For the world, peace comes from pretending that things aren’t so bad, or by dulling the senses through alcohol or drugs.

Yet, Jesus speaks His words of peace on the night before his own passion and death in the company of his disciples.  He had already promised them that where he was going, they would have to go to.  He promised them that following Him involved taking up their own cross.  So Jesus isn’t  saying, Peace is a future without crosses.  Jesus, on his way to the cross, was not superficially wishing his friends an easy, comfortable existence.  Christian peace is not cross-free. 

Pope Benedict wrote that “Real peace can only be brought by release from the captivity of comfortable lies and the acceptance of suffering.  Repression is the most common cause of mental illness and healing can be found only in a descent into the suffering of truth.”

So the peace that Jesus gives isn’t a nice feeling that comes from pretending or running away from crosses—what God asks of us. 

Nor does Christian peace come from selfish indulgence.  Christian peace is just the opposite of selfish indulgence.

The world falls into violence and depravity precisely when it makes itself autonomous from God.  True peace cannot be found apart from radical surrender to God and willingness to give fully of oneself in service.  True peace comes not from selfish self-indulgence, but in generous self-giving.

Just as Jesus gives himself on the cross, he gives himself on the altar.  He gives himself in the Eucharist, that we can learn how to give of ourselves. 

Making God present in society is the only source of true peace.  So we must ask Jesus to teach us how to really be transformed by the Eucharist we celebrate today, that we may become, through him, people of peace, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.