John 14
Every Mass recalls today’s passage from St John’s gospel. After the Lord’s Prayer, the priest says:
Lord Jesus Christ,
who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will.
Both today’s gospel and the part of the Mass quoted just now focus on peace. Peace is what the human race has always been seeking. Who does not want peace? Although everyone may have a different idea of peace, no one refuses any kind of peace. And Jesus promises peace to his people, too.
Then, what kind of peace is this? Jesus distinguishes his peace from the peace the world gives. His peace is not found in this world. His peace does not originate from this world. It does not come from us, either. This peace comes from Christ, the Son of the living God. Therefore, it is divine.
But what is it really? Is there anything in this world that can be compared to this divine peace? Peace as a subjective state of mind or heart is called equanimity. It’s a mental state free from disturbance or stress and harmonious in desires and responsibilities. Many philosophical schools of old such as Stoics and Epicureans pursued this kind of peace. In the meantime, peace as an objective reality is shown in the harmony of order. Nature always follows its order and is in peace. Even though sometimes nature becomes violent to human eyes, all these seemingly violent and chaotic are parts of its order.
Thus, the word peace means a certain harmony, tranquillity, and order, when we consider what we understand in the examples from this world. Therefore, when Jesus spoke of his peace, he promised this harmony, tranquillity and order in our heart and our life in accordance with the will of God. In short, when we follow the divine order, we are in divine peace.
But here is a problem. How can the man know and follow the divine order and God’s will? As we all experience, after the first fall of Adam, the man suffers serious confusion in his mind and heart every day. We do not know what is right. Even when we know the right things, we cannot do them!
This is why Christ came and promised he would give his peace to us. When we receive Christ and keep his commandments, Christ lives in us. When Christ lives in us, we can live according to the will of God because Christ Jesus the Son of God is one with God the Father. This is how we can arrive at his peace. And this is why Christians declare Christ is our peace.
Therefore, the first step toward the peace of Christ begins with our submission to Christ. Let us give up on our will. And let’s give it to Jesus. Even when we walk through the darkest valley of life on earth, if Christ is in us, we will never be shaken of our peace, because this peace is not from the world, but from God the Father in heaven.
