Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

“Peace”
by Théodore Chassériau, 1844-48

Readings for Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 14:19-28
 
In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium
arrived and won over the crowds.
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered around him,
he got up and entered the city.
On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. 
 
After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God."
They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.
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Commentary on Acts 14:19-28
 
This selection recounts the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. It describes the model of how the church was built. Persecution drives further expansion of the church to another town. Paul and Barnabas would enter a region and proclaim the Good News. They would then identify leaders among the converted, entrust the word to them and then move on having accomplished the establishment of a foothold among the Gentiles. (See also 1 Corinthians 16:9 and 2 Corinthians 2:12.)
 
CCC: Acts 14:22 556, 2847
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21
 
R. (see 12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21
 
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. The psalmist exhorts the faithful to give thanks and praise to God with their works as well as their worship. The Lord deserves absolute and complete dedication from his chosen ones. “May my mouth speak the praise of the Lord, and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.”
 
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Gospel: John 14:27-31a
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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.
You heard me tell you,
'I am going away and I will come back to you.'
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."
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Commentary on Jn 14:27-31a
 
In this passage Jesus continues his monologue to the disciples at the Last Supper. They are afraid because of what he has told them and now he calms their fears. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” He explains once more that he is returning to the Father so that the world might know his love for God and his faithfulness to the Father’s will.
 
“On our Lord's lips this common greeting [peace] 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 reconciliation of men with one another; it is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 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 Christianity' (St. Augustine, ‘De Verbis Domini Serm.’, 58).”[4]
 
CCC: Jn 14:30 1851, 2853; Jn 14:31 606
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Reflection:
 
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” There were three great gifts left to us by Jesus. In this Gospel, we hear the first one – peace. The other two are his great sacrifice, which took with it our sins, and finally the gift we look forward to in just a few weeks, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today we try to accept the “peace” he left us.
 
We try to accept his peace because it is not offered as the world offers. The peace of Christ comes only with faith, hope, and trust. It is said that a child’s ability to have faith in God is completely formed by the time that child is two years old. That statement, made by recognized authorities in the psychological field, is made because, in those first two years, the child has perfect trust and faith in its parents who love and nurture it. If that faith and trust is not there in their first two years, the child cannot find it in God later in life.
 
We try to reach back into our innocent memories to accept the peace of Christ. Like children, he calls us to place our faith in him. We must find that place in our hearts where there is complete confidence that he is with us. Like a small child, he has taken us by the hand and leads us down right paths, safe from any harm in that inmost place. How difficult it is to accept the peace of Christ. We look around and see all the turmoil the world casts our way.
 
As difficult as it is to find the peace of Christ, we cannot see our path clearly unless we try to accept it. The analogy has been made by Diadochus of Photice (fifth century mystic and bishop) in his Treatise on Spiritual Perfection:
 
“Therefore, we must maintain great stillness of mind, even in the midst of our struggles. We shall then be able to distinguish between the different types of thoughts that come to us: those that are good, those sent by God, we will treasure in our memory; those that are evil and inspired by the devil we will reject.
 
"A comparison with the sea may help us. A tranquil sea allows the fisherman to gaze right to its depths. No fish can hide there and escape his sight. The stormy sea, however, becomes murky when it is agitated by the winds. The very depths that it revealed in its placidness, the sea now hides. The skills of the fisherman are useless.”
 
The peace of Christ is found in the stillness of mind to which Diadochus refers. Today let us try to find that place in our hearts, a place embodied in the Bread of Life, the grace Christ gives us in his second gift, the gift of his sacrifice.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Peace” by Théodore Chassériau, 1844-48.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002), 661.