Tuesday 20 May 2025 - Peace I leave with you

Tuesday 20 May 2025

Today is Tuesday the 20th of May, in the 5th week of Eastertide.    IAMSON sings, ‘Always with Me’.     I can make through the day  When you're with me on the way  In my heart and mind you'll stay  I can make it through the night  When I'm clinging to your light  You will make the darkness bright  For you are always, always with me  For you are always, always with me  In the calm and in the storm  When it seems I'm all alone  It's your hand I find to hold  In each hour of unrest  When it seems I've nothing left  You speak peace in every breath  For you are always, always with me  For you are always, always with me  In the morning, in the evening  When I'm waking, when I'm sleeping  When I'm arriving, when I'm leaving  You will have me in your keeping  Even from my mothers womb  Never hidden from your view  I was always known to you  When I fade away in death  You will catch my final breath  You will take me to my rest  For you are always, always with me  For you are always, always with me  Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John.    John 14:27-31a  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.  In this passage it may be helpful to imagine ourselves present in the scene. Place yourself in the Upper Room with Jesus and his friends. The air is heavy with emotion. Jesus looks at you with love and speaks these words: “Peace I leave with you.”  How do you feel as Jesus speaks these words to you?    Jesus reminds us that His peace is not of this world. This world offers a peace that may be uncertain, dependant. But Christ’s peace is rooted in trust, even in sadness and suffering.   Ask yourself: where do I look for peace in my life?    Jesus knows that fear and anxiety can overtake us. But he invites us to courage. He is always with us.   What fears or anxieties might I surrender to the Lord?    As we listen to the passage again, reflect on how you may follow the Father, so that love may overcome the challenges of the world.  John 14:27-31a  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.  ‘Rise, let us be on our way.’ Jesus’ teaching calls us to action, to take the peace we have been given into the world. In this time of prayer, how might you commit to following the path of peace?  Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.   As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be  World without end  Amen