“Not As the World Gives Do I Give It to You.” (John 14:28)
At one time words were laboriously hand copied. Manuscripts and books were rare and treasured items. But the communication explosion has changed that so that words are multiplied to such an extent that it is impossible to keep up with everything that is coming out. Thousands of books are skimmed quickly and just as quickly discarded. Today, words are cheap.
The new creation and the new life effected by the resurrection of Christ resulted in an entirely new self-understanding by the first Christian communities. The Acts of the Apostles and the Book of Revelation from which we hear today are expressions of that awareness. Because Christians today are so overwhelmed with words and pay little attention to most of them, it is possible that the newness of the resurrection escapes us or else the newness has become so commonplace that it has lost its power. Even “love” and “God’s word” are so overloaded with variant meanings that they have often lost their power to stir us.
Each year our Easter celebration challenges us to assess our treasure – God’s dwelling among us, the relationship between hearing God’s word and loving as Jesus did, being taught by the Holy Spirit. These cannot be discarded as cheap. They are our life.
In the Gospel narrative today, which occurs before Jesus passion and death, Jesus tells his disciples that “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will….remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” In the beatitudes Jesus had said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” God’s word cannot be taken lightly and is meant for all the world. Without peace people, communities and nations cannot live in harmony. Jesus invites us to be that peace, that healing.
This is an experience, in her own words, of a woman named Susan whose words helped bring peace for someone already doing meaningful work. “I am a volunteer with Catholic Charities in a ministry called Project Hope, which distributes groceries to the elderly and disabled.
“One worker, who comes every month, seemed to be impatient with the clients if they were not prepared. Josie would ‘scold’ the clients for not standing in line, or for not bringing containers to bring groceries in – and she hardly even smiled. Since I work close by her, I could hear everything she would say to the client.
“It was distressing to say the least. I thought I would try to get to know her. I started by asking what parish she belonged to etc….in an effort to make her feel welcomed and accepted. One time I just went over and smiled and stood beside her as she was getting after one of the clients. Another time, before the client came, I asked her about her week and about her husband, since I heard he was in the hospital.
“On another occasion, as she was lecturing a client, I went over to her and asked if I could help, even though I had work to do. When things got backed up, I always tried to help her, very conscious of wanting to love this person first, but always trying to be gentle rather than pushy. This went on for months. ThEn all of a sudden, she began to help clients in a gentler way, smiling and assisting them with love. It was a marked change. Her demeanor was so altered that even our other coworkers noticed it. Hopefully she felt our love that seemed to be reflected in her attitude toward the other clients. Now Josie greets us all with a smile and shares her stories and goes the extra mile with each client. Her presence has become an example for us.”
“Not As the World Gives Do I Give It to You.” (John 14:28)