6th Sunday of Easter, cycle C

JOHN 14:23-29
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, CYCLE C
LAST WEEK ONE OF MY PATIENTS PASSED AWAY. I HAD BEEN CARING FOR HIM FOR OVER THIRTEEN YEARS. HE WAS A GOOD MAN, NOT WELL EDUCATED. HE WORKED IN THE BUILDING TRADE. HE HAD A LOVELY WIFE, TWO SONS, AND TWO DAUGHTERS. HE WAS GENEROUS, AND SPENT A LOT OF HIS SPARE TIME RAISING MONEY FOR VARIOUS CAUSES. HE WAS A DEEPLY COMMITTED CATHOLIC. I GOT TO KNOW HIM VERY WELL. DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS, AS HIS CANCER WOULD DISAPPEAR AND COME BACK, HE WOULD FACE DEATH ALL OVER AGAIN, THEN EXPERIENCE A REPRIEVE. FINALLY, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THIS TIME THERE WOULD BE NO REPRIEVE. OVER THE LAST YEAR HE LOST THE USE OF HIS LEGS, LOST BLADDER CONTROL, AND REQUIRED MORPHINE PUMPED INTO HIS SPINAL CANAL TO HANDLE THE PAIN. AND THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN HE WAS GRUMPY AND SHORT TEMPERED. I MET HIS WIDOW THE OTHER DAY WHO TOLD ME ABOUT HIS LAST DAYS. HIS PASTOR HAD COME TO ANOINT HIM. HIS BROTHERS AND HIS FRIENDS HAD ALL VISITED. HE WAS SURROUNDED BY HIS CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. HE TURNED TO HIS WIFE AND SAID, “ITS TIME”. AND A FEW MINUTES LATER, HE QUIETLY DIED, AT PEACE.
JESUS PROMISES PEACE TODAY, A PEACE THAT THE WORLD CAN'T GIVE. IN THE END, MY PATIENT SEEMED TO HAVE RECEIVED THAT PEACE, THAT PEACE THAT LEAVES YOUR HEART UNTROUBLED AND UNAFRAID. THAT PEACE THAT COMES FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKING THOSE WORDS INTO YOUR SOUL THAT ASSURE YOU THAT YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE CARED FOR, YOU WILL SHARE IN THE RESURRECTION.
WE WILL ALL BE WHERE MY PATIENT WAS. WE WILL ALL HAVE A MOMENT WHEN OUR WORLD IS COMPLETELY TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, WHERE WE WILL BE WRENCHED OUT OF OUR COMFORTABLE ROUTINE, WHERE THE INDEFINITE FUTURE THAT WE FACE SUDDENLY BECOMES DEFINITE, UNCONTROLLABLE, OUT OF OUR HANDS. AND YOU KNOW, THE WORLD OFFERS PEACE. SOMETIMES IT MAY BE THE PEACE OF AN ABORTION, WHICH TAKES AWAY THAT INCONVENIENT NEW LIFE WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO LIVE, WILL RUIN SOMEONE'S COLLEGE EDUCATION OR JEOPARDIZE HIS OR HER CAREER. OR WHEN LIFE APPEARS HOPELESS, SUICIDE AND EUTHANASIA CAN END THE STRUGGLE – THE WORLD OFFERS PEACE. THE WORLD'S PEACE MAY COME FROM WINNING A LAWSUIT; IT MAY COME FROM SPENDING ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE MY PROBLEM GO AWAY. PERHAPS I CAN RUN AWAY AND BECOME ANONYMOUS, PERHAPS I CAN DIVORCE AND START OVER AGAIN. THE WORLD OFFERS A CERTAIN KIND OF PEACE.
THE PEACE JESUS OFFERS, HOWEVER, IS DIFFERENT. THE WORLD SAYS, “YOU CAN HAVE PEACE IF YOU JUST CHANGE THE REALITY AROUND YOU.” JESUS SAYS, “REAL PEACE IS WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR HEART.” AND THAT CHANGE OF HEART IS RECOGNITION THAT GOD IS IN CHARGE, AND THAT GREAT GOOD CAN COME FROM THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH WE FIND OURSELVES, EVEN IF WE GOT THERE THROUGH OUR OWN MISTAKES. IF GOD CAN TURN THE CRUCIFIXION INTO THE RESURRECTION, HE CAN AND DOES TURN MY CIRCUMSTANCES INTO BLESSINGS. AND WHEN WE HEAR THE HOLY SPIRIT REMINDING US OF THIS AND ACCEPT IT, WE FIND PEACE.
IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR MASS, WE EXCHANGE A SIGN OF PEACE. SOMETIMES WE WAVE OR SMILE, SOMETIMES WE SHAKE HANDS; AND MANY OF US THINK THIS IS SORT OF A GREETING. BUT LISTEN: FIRST OUR PRIEST RECALLS THE VERY WORDS WE HEARD IN THE GOSPEL TODAY, AND PRAYS FOR PEACE. THEN HE OFFERS US PEACE – THE PEACE OF THE LORD – NOTICE, NOT THE PEACE OF THE WORLD – BE WITH YOU. AND THEN WE ARE INSTRUCTED TO OFFER A SIGN OF PEACE TO EACH OTHER.
AS CHRISTIANS, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE PEACE OF CHRIST, AND WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE POWER TO BRING THIS PEACE TO OTHERS. WHEN WE OFFER THE SIGN OF PEACE, WE ARE PLEDGING THAT WE ARE THERE FOR THE OTHER PERSON, WHEN HE HAS HIS WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, WHEN HER ORDERLY LIFE CRASHES AND BURNS. AND WE BRING PEACE IN SIMPLE WAYS; WE FEED, WE CLOTHE, WE VISIT, WE CONSOLE, WE DO WHAT WE CAN WHEN WE CAN – AND MOST OF ALL, WE PRAY FOR EACH OTHER. BECAUSE CHRISTIANS DO THAT; IF MY HEART IS UNTROUBLED AND UNAFRAID, I CAN HELP YOURS BECOME THAT WAY AS WELL. WHEN YOU SEE THAT I TRUST IN GOD, IT IS EASIER FOR YOU TO DO THE SAME.
MY PATIENT PASSED AWAY IN THAT WONDERFUL PEACE THAT JESUS GIVES. HE HAD THAT PEACE BECAUSE HE WAS GIVEN IT, GIVEN IT BY HIS WIFE, HIS FAMILY, BY HIS CHURCH THROUGH HIS PASTOR; BY HIS FRIENDS AND EVEN BY US, HIS CAREGIVERS. AND GIVING PEACE TO SOMEONE ALWAYS MEANS THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE PEACE AS WELL. BECAUSE THOSE WHO SAW HIM DIE, AND SAW HOW HE DIED, ARE LESS AFRAID, THEY ARE LESS TROUBLED. AND THEY WILL PASS THIS PEACE ON TO OTHERS AND IT WILL BE MAGNIFIED THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THE PEACE THAT JESUS GIVES. NEVER PASS UP A CHANCE TO QUIET A TROUBLED HEART, CONSOLE SOMEONE WHO IS SAD, SOOTHE ONE WHO IS ANXIOUS. BECAUSE NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE GIVING PEACE, BUT YOU WILL BE RECEIVING IT.
THIS IS MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND. AS I WAS THINKING ABOUT TODAY'S READINGS, I REMEMBERED HOW OFTEN I'VE WATCHED MOTHERS ESPECIALLY MY OWN DAUGHTERS, GIVE PEACE TO THEIR LITTLE CHILDREN. I'VE SEEN HOW SOME MOTHERS, SOME FAMILIES, HAVE AN AURA OF PEACE ABOUT THEM, AND THE CHILDREN ARE SECURE AND HAPPY, OUTGOING AND GENEROUS. AND THEN THERE ARE FAMILIES WHERE THERE IS NO PEACE, WHERE NO MATTER WHAT A CHILD ACCOMPLISHES, HE IS EXPECTED TO DO MORE; WHERE RULES ARE STRICT AND PUNISHMENT IS SWIFT; AND I THINK JESUS IS LIKE ONE OF THOSE GOOD MOTHERS, SPEAKING TO US THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHISPERING LET YOUR HEARTS NOT BE TROUBLED OR AFRAID; I AM GOING AWAY, AND I AM COMING BACK TO YOU.