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. (John 14:27 NABRE)
In today's passage, Jesus uses the traditional Hebrew salutation šālôm; but his “Shalom” is a gift of salvation, connoting the bounty of messianic blessing.*
It is difficult to imagine what it must have been like to be one of Jesus' friends. During what we now know was their final Passover meal together, Jesus spoke to them in what must have seemed like riddles and vague statements that made no sense.
He talked of leaving them. He blessed them. He washed their feet. He talked about sending another Advocate to be with them after he was gone. Despite what must have caused them to feel some sort of undefined doom or at least concern for his welfare, Jesus talks of leaving them his peace. Not just a greeting, but a deep promise of salvation, as had been promised to the people of Israel for generations.
In some ways, as challenging as it is, following Jesus today might actually be easier than it was for those friends who sat at table with him that night. We have had years to begin to see the fullness of Jesus' promise unfold. And though we still look forward to his return, we rely on his Spirit for now, to help us encounter Jesus in the faces of all those we meet and to prepare ourselves for the promised life to come.
Today, on this Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter, I will be grateful for Jesus' gift of salvation.
Saint Pedro de San José, the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala, pray for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment