Posted by The WORD in Other Words by Fr Gil Alejandria SVD (Philippines)
Tuesday 5th Week of Easter
Peace can have different connotations. People speak of “peace time:” that period before or after a war. Peace as understood here is the absence of conflict or cessation of hostilities. The dead are said to “rest in peace” – meaning they are free from all the cares and worries of earthly life. “Peace!” when said to others indicates that no offense was meant in the words or actions earlier expressed or done.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of “my peace,” and “not as the world gives.” This peace would make hearts untroubled and unafraid. This situation becomes an attitude of peace through life’s trials and crosses that put our faith to the test. The peace of Christ comes to the true believer in the midst of these trials because he is assured that all these will pass away. All he has to do is to be strong and hold on, trusting that God will not give him a burden he cannot carry. It is the conviction that everything will be all right at the end.
One experiences true peace when one totally surrenders himself and everything in his life to the loving hands of God. I would compare it to the care-free attitude of children who are secure in the loving care of their parents or their elders. They know that someone knows and takes care of all their needs.
The peace of Christ gives us the same feeling of serenity and security. Knowing that God’s love is always there, knowing that God will not forsake us. It is the knowledge that “God is with me, there is nothing to fear”. Going through life with this kind of attitude, we can be instruments or channels of that peace that only God can give.
– Fr. Gil Alejandria, SVD (Catholic Treade Manila)
Source – The WORD in Other Words, Bible Diary 2020
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