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Suppose we had a time machine
\nand we traveled back in time
\nto talk to Simon Peter before he met Jesus.
\nAnd what if we asked him,
\n\u201cWhat would a peaceful life look like to you?\u201d
\nI wonder what he might say.<\/p>\n
Maybe he\u2019d say,
\n\u201cWell, a peaceful life would be one
\nwhere my fishing business would continue to thrive.
\nI would catch lots of fish each day, sell them all,
\nand support my family comfortably.
\nMy wife and I would live in harmony
\nand raise our children to be good people
\nand to marry good people,
\nand give us lots of grandchildren,
\nwho would go home with their parents at the end of the day.
\nThat would be a peaceful life.
\nAnd then, after building the fishing business into a successful organization,
\nretire, and hand that business over to my sons,
\nand after watching the grandkids grow up to have families of their own,
\npass away quietly, surrounded by my loving family.
\nThat\u2019s what I call peace,\u201d he might say.<\/p>\n
But then if we traveled into Simon Peter\u2019s future
\nand looked at the life of St. Peter after he met Jesus
\nwe would see that his life didn\u2019t turn out that peaceful at all.<\/p>\n
We might step out of our time machine at the council of Jerusalem, And if we got back into our time machine And yet, in the gospel today we hear Jesus tell his disciples, What happened to Jesus\u2019 promise of peace? And if we got back in our time machine Where is this peace that Jesus promised to give to his disciples?<\/p>\n This is an important question; But our lives often don\u2019t seem very peaceful. Even in the church there are disagreements, Where is the peace we have been promised?<\/p>\n Answering that question begins by looking first at the word itself, peace. Sometimes we use peace to describe a situation We also use the word peace to refer to a calm state of mind. And we say things are peaceful The word peace is used in many different contexts In today\u2019s gospel, in this particular situation, Jesus is not talking about the absence of conflict Jesus is telling his disciples goodbye; The portion we heard today is from the middle of that speech. He doesn\u2019t promise them that they won\u2019t have tribulations; What he does promise them is a gift Jesus doesn\u2019t promise his disciples a smooth life, And what Jesus says to his disciples he says to us. In fact, in many ways they lead to the opposite. But that doesn\u2019t mean peace isn\u2019t possible. Jesus\u2019 gift of the Holy Spirit grounds us in God\u2019s love It\u2019s as if Jesus said, \u201cThe Holy Spirit I leave with you, In two weeks we celebrate Pentecost, But a gift given is not necessarily a gift received or used. Christ\u2019s peace does not depend on what goes on around us. And there are people living in turmoil The difference lies in trusting that Jesus\u2019 words are true. It is possible to live Christ\u2019s peace As we go through life in the midst of the chaos that surrounds us, If we got back into our time machine one final time But if we spoke to them just before they died,
\nwhich we read about in the Acts of the Apostles<\/em> today.
\nWe would witness dissension among the disciples,
\narguing, and debating.
\nAnd there would be Peter in the center of it all, trying to be a leader.
\nTrying to be be the rock that Jesus named him.<\/p>\n
\nwe could follow Peter\u2019s life and see him arrested,
\nimprisoned,
\nkilled.
\nSo Peter did not get a peaceful life.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cPeace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nDid Jesus fail to carry through on his promise
\nto Peter and the other disciples?
\nBecause Peter\u2019s experience was not unique.
\nAll of the disciples spent the rest of their lives
\ngetting arrested, being accused of blasphemy
\nfor trying to spread the gospel,
\nliving lives that were anything but peaceful.
\nBeing a disciple of Jesus had turned their lives upside down.<\/p>\n
\nand traveled all the years that have gone by
\nsince Christ\u2019s death and resurrection,
\nwe would see countless generations of saints and martyrs
\nwhose lives were far from peaceful.<\/p>\n
\nbecause if Jesus promised peace to his disciples,
\nhe\u2019s also promised it to us.<\/p>\n
\nBullying on the playground,
\nsudden catastrophic illness,
\ncorruption in business and government,
\nreligious freedom threatened both here and in other countries,
\nterrorism and war.<\/p>\n
\njust as there were in Jerusalem all those years ago.<\/p>\n
\nIn Hebrew, the word is shalom<\/em>, and it has great depth of meaning.
\nShalom<\/em>, or peace, is one of those words like love
\nthat\u2019s used in many different ways.<\/p>\n
\nin which countries are not at war.
\nIf countries aren\u2019t engaged in battle, then we say they\u2019re at peace.<\/p>\n
\nA current practice that is very popular right now to handle stress
\nis the practice of mindfulness,
\na kind of paying attention to the present moment,
\nwhich brings about a certain peace in our bodies, in our minds.<\/p>\n
\nwhen things are calm around us,
\nwhen we\u2019re sitting on the beach,
\nor at home reading a book,
\nor maybe coloring in those new coloring books for grown ups.<\/p>\n
\nand in many different ways.
\nBut none of these are the way that Jesus uses the word peace today.<\/p>\n
\nthe word peace has a very particular meaning.<\/p>\n
\nor a state of calm
\nor being comfortable.<\/p>\n
\nthis is the point in John\u2019s gospel
\nwhere Jesus is making his farewell speech.
\nHe is about to be handed over and crucified,
\nand he has some last words for his disciples.<\/p>\n
\nIf we go back to the beginning,
\nJesus starts the speech by saying, \u201cDo not let your hearts be troubled.\u201d
\nHe\u2019s about to go away,
\nand he foresees that his disciples will be upset,
\nwill be fearful, will be afraid.
\nAnd he\u2019s trying to address their fears.
\nAnd so when he says \u201cPeace I leave you, my peace is my gift to you,\u201d
\nhe is giving them a gift to help them through their fear.
\nHis peace is the antidote to a troubled heart.<\/p>\n
\nhe doesn\u2019t promise them that their life is going to be calm or comfortable;
\nhe doesn\u2019t promise them that their life is going to move smoothly
\nfrom one stage to the next.<\/p>\n
\nto help them face those challenges with confidence.
\nAnd that gift is the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
\nbut he does promise them his presence
\nto get through the difficulties that life brings:
\nthe gift of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
\nBeing a faithful disciple, coming here to Mass, serving the poor,
\ntrying to be good parents and grandparents,
\nbeing an honest worker,
\nliving a clean life,
\nall these things that we do,
\nthey do not guarantee a life free of conflict or turmoil;
\nthey don’t guarantee a life of prosperity.<\/p>\n
\nBeing a disciple of Christ can lead to heartbreak;
\nbeing a disciple of Christ can lead to inconvenience and discomfort,
\nand can leave us feeling afraid.<\/p>\n
\nSometimes it\u2019s the toughest circumstances
\nthat make real peace possible
\nthat lead to the deepest peace.<\/p>\n
\nso that we can face the turbulence,
\nso that we can face our fears with confidence,
\nwith the inner peace of knowing that God loves us
\nand that one day we will dwell in eternal peace.<\/p>\n
\nthe Holy Spirit is my gift to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nthe fulfillment of Jesus\u2019 promise to the disciples and to us.
\nThis scripture has been fulfilled in our presence.
\nThe Holy Spirit is here, among us and within us.
\nThrough our baptism and confirmation,
\nwe have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
\nJesus said, \u201cDo not let your hearts be troubled.\u201d
\nWe let our hearts be troubled
\nwhen we choose not to accept or collaborate with the gift of the Holy Spirit,
\nor, more commonly,
\nwhen we forget that the Holy Spirit has been given to us.<\/p>\n
\nThere are people living a calm, comfortable life on the outside
\nwho are not at peace within.<\/p>\n
\nwho know the peace of Christ intimately.<\/p>\n
\nHe went away as he said he would,
\nand he came back as he said he would.
\nThe Father has sent The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
\njust as Jesus said.<\/p>\n
\nin the midst of the chaos of life.
\nChrist\u2019s peace is a gift for all people at all times and all places,
\nregardless of circumstances.<\/p>\n
\nthose who hold fast to that truth
\nwill be able to draw on the gift of the Holy Spirit
\nto be the calm at the center of the storm
\nand bring Christ\u2019s peace to the world.<\/p>\n
\nand visited Peter, James, Paul, and all those saints
\nwho were martyred for their faith,
\nit might look from the outside that their lives were nothing but
\ntrials and turmoil.<\/p>\n
\nwe would see in their eyes and hear in their voice
\nan inner peace that could only come from Christ,
\na peace that is given to each one of us.<\/p>\n