Not As The World Gives You Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

It would be very easy for any one of us to hear the above words from Jesus in this morning’s Gospel and consider them mere sentiment, or worse, an elusive or even empty promise. Where is this peace? We look at the world around us, and peace is likely not the word that comes leaping to mind. Maybe even when we look at our own lives we can’t find it either.

So where is it? Why can’t we feel it?

Jesus says that this peace he gives us is not given as the world gives it. How does the world define peace? Generally, the world understands peace as meaning no war, no discord, no arguments or no angst. These definitions however all require the use of the word “no”…or a lack of something. In Jesus there is no lacking, only fullness. So Jesus’ peace must be different.

Jesus is our peace.

There are any number of things that clutter our hearts taking up the space that is meant for Jesus. All the stuff the world can send us is bad enough, but how much of our own “stuff” clogs up that space that Jesus wants to occupy?

In the Book of Revelation, Saint John shares with us his experience of his vision of paradise. In it he writes:

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

‘Now have salvation and power come,

The reign of our God

And the authority of his Anointed One.

For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,

Who night and say accuse them before God.’”

Who is the accuser? The Devil himself. The voice Saint John refers to is talking about that constant harassment that the Devil loves to inflict upon us: the “I’m not good enough” voice that tugs at our hearts, the guilt over matters we should have already let go of, the stories we concoct in our minds that blame our personal sinfulness for the difficulties that life sends our way. When our hearts and minds are wrestling with the accuser, we have no peace…and Jesus has no room!

HE is the salvation and power that has come: he is the one who reigns, and in his reign we find true peace.

We are moving through the last few weeks of the Easter Season, when we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord with even greater joy than the rest of the year. Consider that first Easter morning. Scripture describes for us a very peaceful scene: a quiet, empty tomb. When those who find it launch into panic, the Risen Jesus comes to them in peace and calm, reassuring them that there is nothing to be afraid of.

The Risen Christ is in fact defined by peace, and our own sense of peace is always a sure sign that we are moving in accordance with his plan for us.

That’s why it’s so important that we be vigilant to keep as much room for Jesus and his peace in our hearts as possible. If our lives are cluttered by the chaos of the world, or the accusations of the accuser, we can easily misread the movements of the spirit.

Peace be with you!