In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus promises a gift the world cannot give: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

That line ought to stop us in our tracks. Because the world does give peace - or at least tries to. It offers peace through distraction, pleasure, security, or success. But that peace is always temporary. It disappears the moment circumstances change, or fear returns, or the illusion breaks.

Jesus speaks of another kind of peace. A peace that comes not from the world’s giving or our own willing, but from communion. “We will come to him,” he says, “and make our dwelling with him.” It is the peace that flows from God’s own presence - abiding and enduring.

In a time when many things feel uncertain or strained - globally, politically, even in the quiet corners of our own hearts and homes - this Gospel offers something we can count on. It does not promise ease. It promises that the Father is near. That Christ remains. That the Spirit will keep us connected.

Christ’s Peace!

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ