True Peace

Saturday of the 5^th Week of Lent

Ezekiel 37:21-28; Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13; John 11:45-56

In one way or another, today’s Scriptures all conjure up images of peace. Ezekiel, speaking to the anxious, exiled Jews in Babylon, prophesies a covenant of peace, with God Himself dwelling among them. Jeremiah paints a picture of peace: A flock guarded by a divine Shepherd; united, redeemed, and blessed, their mourning turned to joy. John speaks perhaps the most directly and profoundly of peace, but his use is intentionally ironic; there, the high priest speaks of peace in terms of avoiding Roman hostility, using that as his excuse to justify putting Jesus to a violent death.

Of course, true peace is much more than a lack of violence. For that matter, it isn’t something we human beings can bring about. We can talk of making peace, or finding peace, but true peace is a divine gift, graciously bestowed on us by Christ, as he said at the Last Supper in this same gospel, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you (John 14:27). This is the peace that can withstand any adversity, keeps us grounded and centered on God and what is most important in life, and brings us to the unity with each other and with God that the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah spoke of.

The passion of our Lord, which we contemplate again over this coming week, gives us a wonderful opportunity to see how that peace works within Jesus. No matter what storms rage around him or temptations arise to abandon his mission, notice how he remains at peace with himself, and at all times perfectly in union with the will of his Father.

His peace is with us, too; we receive it and exchange it at every Mass. So, let us remember – now, over the coming days of Holy Week, and in the future – that from Christ alone comes the peace the world cannot give, the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). And may our prayer be that, no matter what storms or temptations rage in our own lives, that we keep within ourselves that same peace, bought by the redeeming blood of Christ, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.

Also at every Mass, our Lord gives us his most perfect sign of that peace: the Eucharist, the Sacrament of unity. We heard in the gospel that some of the Jews looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast” (John 11:56)? Of course he will come to the feast. Jesus is the feast! Not only that, he dwells with us, and in his peace we are united, redeemed, and blessed with the assurance that our Good Friday mourning will soon become Easter joy.