Psalm Reflection: The Baptism of the Lord (Cycle B)

“The Lord will bless his people with peace.” - Psalm 29

I think the 1960s and 70s ruined our idea of peace. We see images, video clips and quotes that make peace seem like it is about everything being perfect— it is all about sunshine, hugs, and everyone holding hands and signing “Kum Ba Yah.” That is why what Jesus says to the Apostles in the Gospel of John is so difficult to wrap our heads around:

Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world (John 16:32-33).

Jesus is telling the Apostles that they will abandon Him and that they will continue to have trouble in the world, but they should have peace nonetheless. This is not the half-time locker room pep-talk or rally-the-troops speech one would expect from someone trying to motivate their listeners. That is because we have forgotten what peace really is. Peace is not perfection, comfort, happiness, or the simple absence of war and violence. Peace is built on justice and comes from the recognition that everything is rightly ordered toward God.

Mother Teresa once said: “if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” She recognized that peace was not about the warm fuzzies, but about purpose, belonging and justice. That is why when she left Albania to work in the slums of Calcutta, she wrote that she was deeply saddened, but felt a sense of peace nonetheless because she knew it was where justice was needed. That peace is a fruit of the Spirit, and it allows us to recognize that God is bigger that our worry. Peace tells us that all things ordered toward God are good, but it does not erase all the difficulty and hardship.

I mention all of this to remind you that peace is possible right now. Peace in COVID and all the hardship, strain, stress, anxiety, worry, anger and loss you have felt is not only possible, but necessary for us to continue persevering in this fight. 2021 will not magically be different than any year before it; there will still be suffering, loss, injustice, division, war, anger and grief. These will never be erased from our world on this side of Heaven. Instead of treating these things like they are simply diseases to be cured, also treat them like possible doorways to peace. Each one of them, every day, is a chance to recognize that no matter how big the difficulty, Jesus has conquered the world. If we remain in Him, we share in that victory. We still work for justice, but justice is not the end, Jesus is.

This week, write down a list of everything that is stealing or preventing your peace. Spend time time prayerfully reflecting on each one, and how it could be an invitation for deeper trust and reliance on God. How can these things be opportunities to see the victory of God and His providence at work in your life? Bring these to prayer along with the words of Philippians 4:6-7:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

He is with you in this. He is bigger than this. He has already conquered the world. Will you let Him conquer your life?

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt