CHRIST’S Offer of PEACE

May 25, 2025 – Sixth Sunday of Easter

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052525.cfm)

Come to think of it, the very first words the risen Christ said to His disciples in the upper room is: “Peace, I give to you”. PEACE is first message of the risen Lord. The very first offer of salvation the risen Lord for us then is PEACE.

But we might wonder: “why peace?”Why not joy, forgiveness, or mercy? Why not love and life? Why Peace first among others?

Corrie Ten Boom, an inspirational writer & a watchmaker Christian Dutch Nazi-concentration camp woman survivor once adviced, “If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look into oneself, you will be depressed. But if you look at God, you will be at rest.”

True enough, although her experience of life was different (Hitler, Nazi, concentration camps, gas chambers, etc.) and happened few decades ago, but still we can also say, based on our experience & what is going on in our life today…. Distressing it is to look at our world… (with natural disasters of typhoons, earthquakes, flooding, El Niño, global warming, etc; human disasters of pandemic, politicking, wars, injustice, discrimination, killings, etc.).

And worse, depressing it is to look into ourselves living distressful life in our helplessness & hopelessness…. But promising, assuring & hopeful it is to focus our gaze & look to God for peace, meaning & sense in our faith-life journey.

When Peace was first offered by our risen Lord to His disciples, we recall that in our gospel today Jesus before His death said:  “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.”

We come to know Jesus here as someone who can relate & sympathizes with our life-experiences of distress & depression. He knows how our hearts can be troubled & afraid, as well how our life can be distressing & depressing our life as Christians could be.

And so, our Lord offers us Peace first amidst our challenging lives to appease & assure our lives that He is with us along the way. At the same time, as He offers us His peace, our peace is ultimately not found in our life & world, but lies in Him, whom we believe.

His peace is offered us first because, our Lord wants us to focus our lives on Him. In order for us to fully believe & trust in Him, we must be first be at peace with Him.

Thus, to be in His Peace first, by focusing and orienting  ourselves to Him rather than on our world & life. And above all, Christ’s offer of peace is based on the longing of God & Jesus to be at home & in love with us for as Jesus said “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

Consider also that as Christian, it is our custom to greet & bless each other as we gather as community with the exchange of words: “The grace & peace of our Lord of Christ, the love of God, & the unity of the Holy Spirit, BE with you”…”And also with You (your spirit)”.

Here highlights our love of God with the unity of Holy Spirit CENTERS on the Christ’s grace of peace for us. Our faith in God’s salvation is thus oriented & focused on Jesus, not in the world & on ourselves, because meaning & direction in life lies in our faith & love of Him, whom God sends for us.

Simply put, Jesus is calling & directing us to focus & center our life on Him… to prioritize Him, Our Lord & Savior, the Son of God in our daily lives than our world & selves. Because as Corrie Ten Boom also reminds us, Christians:

“If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within, you will be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you will be at peace.”

So May it be. Amen.