Peace I Leave You, My Peace I Give To You

By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

As we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation, we are reminded of a somber truth about the future of both the Baby Jesus and His Blessed Mother. Simeon rejoices at the discovery of the Messiah, but as he catches his breath, he warns that this child is a sign to be contradicted and that a sword will also pierce the heart of His Mother! The sign of contradiction is clearly a reference to the Cross. As Venerable Fulton Sheen observed, its shadow loomed over the Christ Child from the very beginning. 

The threat of the cross and sword would certainly have dampened the joy of the moment and perhaps robbed the peace of mind of the Holy Family hence forth.  This is where a good meditation would be to ask ourselves how it would affect us if we were to know of pending sorrow, misfortune or even disaster? And yet, is it so hypothetical? Is not pending doom rather inevitable? The media and authorities have indeed become purveyors of fear and dread – from health issues to weather forecasts. While the “sky is falling” scenario will come to pass definitively one day, is it better to live in fear or hope? Should we ‘get busy dying or get busy living’? The answer is in large part how Christ has overcome the world!

St. Paul tells the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say: Rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7)  

“The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”! 

Wow! By his personal experiences of harrowing events, St. Paul is expanding on the promise of Christ Himself at the Last Supper: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Jn 14:27

This peace of Christ – that no one else can give us – should fill us with rejoicing and enable our kindness to be shown and known by all! The Cross of Christ is not a sign of doom, but of hope and life – life to the full!