It’s always deeply moving to attend those ordinations for me-- a reminder of my own ordination day, when we laid down on the marble, and knelt before the bishop, placing our hands in his, promising respect and obedience to him and his successors. A reminder of having all those priests lay hands on my head--that ancient gestures of imparting authority and blessing before being sent out into the world.
The recent ordination got me thinking about a quote from Pope Benedict XVI which I reflected upon prior to my ordination. He said, “On the eve of my priestly ordination, fifty-eight years ago, I opened the Sacred Scripture, because I wanted to receive once more a word from the Lord for that day and for my future journey as a priest. My gaze fell on this passage: 'Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth'. Then I realized: the Lord is speaking about me, and he is speaking to me. This very same thing will be accomplished tomorrow in me. When all is said and done, we are not consecrated by rites, even though rites are necessary. The bath in which the Lord immerses us is himself – the Truth in person. Priestly ordination means being immersed in him, immersed in the Truth. I belong in a new way to him and thus to others, 'that his Kingdom may come'.”
The Holy Father’s words resonated with me deeply as I prepared for my priestly ordination, and again during this ordination season. Priesthood means being immersed in the Truth of the Gospel. The Truth is to resound in my teaching, and preaching, and manner of life, so that those I serve as a priest, may too, be immersed in the Truth that sets us free.
That’s what the Lord is talking about in the Gospel today. “The Holy Spirit...will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”
God wants us to be immersed in Truth. And so the Father has sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to help us and teach us and be reminded of everything Jesus taught, so that we can live in the truth.
Why is the Truth important? Without it, we are wandering in darkness, wandering in error, just following our impulses. And because of our fallen nature, our impulses don’t always point toward heaven. We want too much of what we don’t need, and too little of what we do need. We impulsively eat too much, drink too much, doom scroll too much, hoard belongings too much. And we fast too little, pray too little, give to those in need too little.
Following our impulses is not the way of discipleship. If our impulses led to heaven, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to teach anything. Rather, How do I know that I am walking faithfully as a disciple of Jesus? If my choices reflect the Truth of the Gospel taught by the Catholic Church. And that’s why Truth is a gift—the most valuable of gifts because it leads to Heaven.
Immediately after promising that the Holy Spirit will teach us, Jesus promises his peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”
Truth and peace are linked by Jesus. Do you want peace? Peace of mind know that you are walking toward heaven? Ensure that moral, spiritual, and religious truths, taught by the Church are in place in your life. Ensure that you are adhering to truth as best as you can.
When Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (John 14:27), He is drawing a sharp contrast between the divine peace He offers and the superficial peace the world promises.
The world offers peace through military power, gated communities, savings accounts, and insurance policies. It’s a peace that depends on having control over one’s environment and minimizing threats. But this peace is always vulnerable—wars break out, markets crash, disasters come. Christian peace is deeper than mere security.
The world promises peace through money and possessions. But peace through materialism is an insatiable quest. Those who make money their ultimate quest seem to “never have enough”. But the peace of Christ can be experienced in this life, when we stop seeking our peace and happiness in things, but in Him.
The world often equates peace with numbing distractions: drugs and alcohol, endless media and video games, offer temporary escape from our problems. But these things leave us more fatigued and unsatisfied—hungover, overstimulated, unable to get a good night’s rest, and mentally exhausted, and often, enslaved to addiction.
The peace of “worldly distraction” does not satisfy the soul; it leaves us empty after the thrill fades. Rather, the peace of Christ does bring emptiness, but fulfillment in not being lulled to sleep, but being alive in God—a living relationship with God where we understand we are loved, forgiven, and held in God's providence, even in suffering.
Another false promise of peace is that we can create peace ourselves through political action and activism, as if a certain policy or government will “fix everything” and turn society into a utopia. While justice and the common good matter deeply, peace that depends on politics alone quickly mutates into tyranny and corruption.
Rather, Divine Truth, is the only real basis for peace. Truth that is not determined by a majority vote, mob rule, or a tyrant’s will. Truth is a person—unchanging yet fully attentive to the needs of the individual; Truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”
And you can’t find that peace outside of the Church because only from within do we have access to His teachings, His sacraments, His Saints, the moral guidance needed for the complexities of life, and the prayer that keeps us and strengthens us in our union with Him.
As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit help us to be immersed in the Truth of Jesus Christ, and put the truths of our faith into action—in our love for God and neighbor. May the Holy Spirit continue to instruct us in the ways of holiness, and remind us of the Lord’s teachings and presence in our trials and joys, that we may know the gift of peace, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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