From: John 14:27-31a
The Promise of the Holy Spirit (Continuation)
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Commentary:
27. Wishing a person peace was, and still is, the usual form of greeting among
Jews and Arabs. It is the greeting Jesus used, and which the Apostles continued
to use, as we can see from their letters (cf. 1 Peter 1:3; 3 John 15; Romans 1:7;
etc.). The Church still uses it in the liturgy: for example, before Communion the
celebrant wishes those present peace, a condition for worthily sharing in the ho-
ly sacrifice (cf. Matthew 5:23) and also a fruit of that sacrifice.
On our Lord’s lips this common greeting acquires its deepest meaning; peace is
one of the great messianic gifts (cf. Isaiah 9:7; 48:18; Micah 5:5; Matthew 10:22;
Luke 2:14; 19:38). The peace which Jesus gives us completely transcends the
peace of the world, which can be superficial and misleading and compatible with
injustice. The peace of Christ is, above all, reconciliation with God and reconci-
liation of men with one another; it is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gala-
tians 5:22-23); it is “serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, simplicity of heart, a
bond of love, a union of charity: no one can inherit God if he does not keep His
testament of peace, or live in unity with Christ if he is separated from Christiani-
ty” (St. Augustine, “De Verbis Domini Serm.”, 58).
“Christ ‘is our peace’ (Ephesians 2:14). And today and forever He repeats to us:
‘My peace I give to you, My peace I leave with you’. [...] Never before in the histo-
ry of mankind has peace been so much talked about and so ardently desired as
in our day. [...] And yet again and again, one can see how peace is undermined
and destroyed. [...] Peace is the result of many converging attitudes and reali-
ties; it is the product of moral concerns, of ethical principles based on the Gos-
pel message and fortified by it. [...] In his message for the 1971 Day of Peace,
my revered predecessor, that pilgrim of peace, Paul VI, said: “True peace must
be founded upon justice, upon a sense of the untouchable dignity of man, upon
the recognition of an indelible and happy equality between men, upon the basic
principle of human brotherhood, that is, of the respect and true love due to each
man, because he is man’. This same message I affirmed in Mexico and in Po-
land. I reaffirm it here in Ireland. Every human being has inalienable rights that
must be respected. Each human community — ethnic, historical, cultural or re-
ligious — has rights which must be respected. Peace is threatened every time
one of these rights is violated. The moral law, guardian of human rights, protec-
tor of the dignity of man, cannot be set aside by any person or group, or by the
State itself, for any cause, not even for security or in the interests of law and or-
der. The law of God stands in judgment over all reasons of State. As long as in-
justices exist in any of the areas that touch upon the dignity of the human per-
son, be it in the political, social or economic field, be it in the cultural or reli-
gious sphere, true peace will not exist. [...]
“Peace cannot be established by violence, peace can never flourish in a climate
of terror, intimidation and death. It is Jesus Himself who said: ‘All who take the
sword will perish by the sword’ (Matthew 26:52). This is the word of God, and it
commands this generation of violent men to desist from hatred and violence and
to repent” (Bl. John Paul II, “Homily at Drogheda”, 29 September 1979). The
peace and joy which Christ brings us should be typical of believers: “Get rid of
those scruples that deprive you of peace. What takes away your peace of soul
cannot come from God. “When God comes to you, you will feel the truth of those
greetings: My peace I give to you. . . , my peace I leave you . . . , my peace be
with you. . . , and you will feel it even in the midst of troubles.” (St. J. Escriva,
“The Way”, 258).
28. Jesus Christ, as Only-begotten Son of God, possesses divine glory for all
eternity; but while He is on earth this glory is veiled and hidden behind His holy
human nature (cf. 17:5; Philippians 2:7). It only shows itself on a few occasions,
such as when He performs miracles (cf. 2:11) or at the Transfiguration (cf. Mat-
thew 17:1-8 and paragraph). Now, through His death, resurrection and ascension
into Heaven Jesus will be glorified—in His body also—as He returns to the Father
and enters into His glory. Therefore, His departure from this world should be a
source of joy for His disciples; but they do not properly understand what He is
saying, and they are saddened because they are more aware of the Master
being physically separated from them than the glory which awaits Him.
When Jesus says that the Father is greater than He, He is thinking about His hu-
man nature; as man Jesus is going to be glorified, ascending as He does to the
right hand of the Father. Jesus Christ “is equal to the Father in His dignity, less
than the Father in His humanity” (”Athanasian Creed”). St. Augustine exhorts us
to “acknowledge the twofold nature of Christ — the divine, by which He is equal to
the Father; the human, by which He is less than the Father. But the one and the
other are together not two, but one Christ’ (”In Ioann. Evang.”, 78, 3). However, al-
though the Father and the Son are equal in nature, eternity and dignity, our Lord’s
words can also be understood by taking “greater” to refer to His origin: only the
Father is “beginning without beginning”, whereas the Son proceeds eternally from
the Father by way of a generation which is also eternal. Jesus Christ is God from
God, Light from Light, True God from True God (cf. Nicene Creed).
30. Clearly the world is good, for it has been created by God, and God loved it so
much that He sent His Only-begotten Son (cf. John 3:16). However, in this pas-
sage “world” means all those who reject Christ; and “the ruler of the world” is the
devil (cf. John 1:10; 7:7; 15:18-19). The devil opposed the work of Jesus right from
the start of His public life when he tempted Him in the desert (cf. Matthew 4:1-11
and paragraph). Now, in the passion, he will apparently overcome Christ. This is
the hour of the power of darkness when, availing of Judas’ treachery (cf. Luke 22:
53; John 13:27), the devil manages to have our Lord arrested and crucified.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
|
First reading |
Acts 14:19-28 © |
Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and turned the people against the apostles. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas went off to Derbe.
Having preached the Good News in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They stayed there with the disciples for some time.
|
Psalm |
|
Psalm 144:10-13,21 © |
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
Let me speak the praise of the Lord,
let all mankind bless his holy name
for ever, for ages unending.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
|
Gospel Acclamation |
cf.Lk24:46,26 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It was ordained that the Christ should suffer
and rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel |
John 14:27-31 © |
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return.
If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it happens,
so that when it does happen you may believe.
I shall not talk with you any longer,
because the prince of this world is on his way.
He has no power over me,
but the world must be brought to know
that I love the Father
and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.’