Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
I oftentimes find myself saying “everything will work out just fine” when I am faced with a difficult or uncertain situation. Although this is what I say, I recognize that I don’t always really believe what I am saying, since my actions show otherwise. If I truly believed that things were going to work out, then I would not spend hours and days of needless worrying, and I would have peace about the outcome- whatever happens. Today’s gospel reading shows that the apostles also had similar experiences. Jesus reassures both the disciples (and us) that He knows we are human and therefore we will experience difficulties and worries. Jesus reminds us that although we will have struggles in this life, true peace comes from Him. If we both know and believe in our hearts that Jesus has conquered the world then we can lead faith filled lives that remain steadfast and calm even in the face of adversity. Jesus is the source of peace, and His peace is His gift to us. All we need to do is ask Him for this peace and believe in His promises.
In the gospel reading today, the apostles think that they finally understand all that Jesus has shared with them. They tell Jesus that now they “believe” that He came from God because of all that He has shared with them. I can just imagine Jesus looking at the apostles with great love and shaking His head, as He reflects on how little they really know about He and His Father. Not only do the apostles have only a glimpse of who Jesus is, but their faith in Him still is being formed and tested. Jesus asks them “Do you believe now?” because He knows that in the near future they will abandon Him, deny Him, and He will be left alone as He faces His passion and death. Jesus does not question the apostles’ faith to make them feel inadequate or discouraged. He knows that the apostles will experience fear, sorrow, remorse, and confusion when Jesus is taken into custody, convicted and crucified on the cross.. Jesus is hoping to give the apostles courage and comfort to help them in the time ahead. Jesus shares with them the predictions on how they will be “scattered”, but because Jesus knows that “the Father is with me” (John 16: 32) Jesus knows He is secure. Jesus models for the apostles (and us) how we should speak words of belief in God and His providence, and also have complete trust and faith in God’s presence in our lives. When we know that God (Jesus) is with us, and we believe that He is with us always, then we will experience the peace that He promises. Jesus is not denying that we will be faced with troubles, since He knows that as human beings we will experience pain, sorrow and anxieties. But Jesus tells the apostles (and us) to “take courage, I have conquered the world.”(John 16:33)
As I reflect on this reading, I can identify in so many ways with the apostles. I am reminded that I will never “know” God completely because He is beyond human understanding. But, I can grow in my knowledge of Him if I seek Him. Through prayer, scripture, sacrament, nature, and my daily life God constantly reveals Himself to me, so I may know Him and His ways. It requires an awareness and openness on our part to find God in all things. The more that we seek God, then the more He will show Himself to us. And the more we know Him, then the more our faith will be secure.
I also know that I am just like the apostles, because I know that I will stumble and fall. My faith will be tested, and even though I say that I believe, I will not act like a follower of Christ. The temptations of the world, the anxieties of daily life, the doubts that say God doesn’t care, will pull me away from the joy and peace that Jesus promises. I recognize that Jesus knows my weakness, my frustrations, and even my lack of faith in Him, and yet He tells me “have courage”. Jesus offers us encouragement not because we will not suffer, but because He is with us always. No matter what happens, we know that we are not alone.
Just as Jesus finds peace in His Father’s presence, He calls us to this same peace and security with Him. He calls us to step out in faith and believe that He will be there even when we want to run away and hide. Jesus calls us to believe, so we can know the peace that only He can give. This trust is something that is lived out in every moment of the day, for it is in the present moment that we need to find God, instead of constantly fretting about what might happen in the future. The peace from Jesus is not meant for tomorrow, but is given for today- wherever we are and whatever we are doing.
I know that I long for this kind of peace in my life, and I think God places this desire in my heart as one more way to draw me closer to Him. If I can recognize God’s presence and His love for me, then I can believe that He will lead me to Him. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13) To have the knowledge of God’s providence and love, to believe this in our hearts, and to live this faithfully in our lives is the source of the peace that Jesus wants to share with us. Jesus gives us the courage to believe in this peace, so together with Him we can “conquer the world” with this peace and His love.
Heavenly Father, you reveal yourself to us in many ways, but mostly through your Son, Jesus. Help us to deepen our faith and trust in You. May your Spirit bring us the courage we need to live out our faith, so we can find the peace that Jesus promises to us. May we bring this peace to the world and share it with all that we meet, so they too can come to know You. May all we do bring You glory and praise. We pray this through Christ, our LORD. Amen
Marylynn Herchline