John 14:23-29
I visited an elderly lady many times.
She had lung problems and heart problems and was on oxygen all the
time. I would walk into her room and be greeted with a smile. She
kept busy; she read a lot, she did crossword puzzles, she spoke on
the phone with her children who lived in other cities and states.
But she wanted nothing. She had her rosary handy and there was a
crucifix on the wall and she had received the sacraments of the
sick and the apostolic blessing. She was at peace. And one day she
died in her sleep and had a big smile on her face, they tell me.
She was at peace. As a cancer doctor I've been there when many
patients of mine died. There weren't many who were at peace. And
yet all of us will have to face death someday, and I think we would
like to be at peace.
One of the characteristics of a
Christian is peace. That's really clear when you read the accounts
of the martyrs during the early years of the Church. They would
sometimes sing hymns as they were thrown to the lions. But it wasn't
just the martyrs. If you study the lives of the saints, you find
that it is a characteristic of every saint. And don't think about
those pictures of saints who look like starvation victims as they
stare mournfully into the heavens. Saint Louis de Montfort used to
go into a town square and start preaching. He always attracted a
crowd, partly because if he saw people who weren't paying attention,
he would stop preaching and being a big strong man, would drag them
over to the crowd. Saint Philip Neri loved to play practical jokes,
and Saint Charles Borromeo, the Cardinal of Milan, who didn't have
much of a sense of humor, wrote several letters to Neri asking him to
tone down his antics. And there are many wonderful stories showing
how human the saints are. But the bottom line is that at the very
center of every saint is peace.
Jesus promises his followers peace.
He calls it “his” peace and contrasts it to the peace the world
gives. Jesus must have been aware of the boast of the Roman empire –
that throughout the empire there was peace. The so called “Pax
Romana” or “Peace of Rome”. And it was true. Any time anyone
threatened the peace the Roman army would move in and the roads
would be decorated with people hanging from crosses. We've had that
kind of peace in our time as well – the old Soviet Union, China,
North Korea – and unfortunately we seem to be headed in that
direction in our country as well. There is less and less rational
discourse when people disagree. If you think people should use the
bathroom that goes with their physical gender, well, you are
obviously bigoted and don't deserve a concert by Bruce Springsteen or
a movie by Michael Moore. If you don't think your tax dollars should
pay for abortion, well, you are obviously anti-woman and practically
a member of the Ku Klux Klan. And if you think people should prove
they are who they say they are when it comes time to vote, well, then
you are a racist. If you want to bring about the world's peace –
find a way to shut people up who disagree with you.
Jesus peace, which he himself
possessed, is an entirely different animal. His is an interior peace
which comes about because of his union with the Father. And notice
in this gospel passage how he promises that peace to us.
First, if we love Him and keep his
word, then the Father and Jesus will make their dwelling with us. If
we truly realize this, it's hard to be anxious. If God makes his
dwelling with us, there isn't anything that can cause lasting harm.
Saint Peter Chanel, who was martyred after spending years
establishing Christianity in the Pacific Islands, said before his
death: “It does not matter if I die. Christ's religion is so
deeply rooted in these islands that it cannot be destroyed by my
death.” When Jesus and the Father dwell with us, living and dying,
suffering and enjoying life – it's all the same because nothing can
defeat the one who makes his home with us.
Second, Jesus promises to send the
Holy Spirit to remind us of his teachings and teach us everything.
This is a promise to each Christian as well as to the Church as a
whole. We have to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, who tells us
what God wants of us in every circumstance. He doesn't tell us how
things will turn out or where we stand in the grand scheme of things,
but he does let us know through our consciences and through the
teachings of the scriptures and the Church what we are to do right
now with this moment we have been given. People like Padre Pio and
Mother Angelica demonstrate in their lives the skill of listening to
the Holy Spirit – but we can all develop this skill.
Third, Jesus promises that, although
he is going away, he is coming back for us. One elderly person I
visit told me that this is the promise that she loves most – the
assurance that Jesus will come for his disciples. There are even
times when a person who is dying seems to testify to this. Saint
Anthony of Padua's last words were “I see my Lord Jesus!”
There are a lot of people who listen
to the words of Jesus and don't believe them. There are in fact a
lot of us Christians who can't accept what Jesus is saying. We try
to live good lives, we go to Mass, we pray; but we don't trust, we
don't take what Jesus is telling us at face value. We can't have the
peace Jesus promises unless we do.
So it is very simple: Love Jesus,
carry out his commandments;, and the Father and Son will live with
you. Listen to the Holy Spirit – and if you don't know what that is
all about, find someone to show you. It's not rocket science, the
Holy Spirit, I'm convinced, speaks to each one of us. Do I always
follow the Spirit? No. But I think I'm getting more in tune, and
I've had a whole lifetime to learn this. And lastly, rest assured
that He will come back for us.
The peace that Jesus wants to give us,
the peace that he himself had while on earth, is within our reach.
All we need to do is grasp it.
