Today’s Gospel from John emphasizes peace and the Holy Spirit abiding within us. Christ’s first word following His death is “Peace”. I do not find that I am a naturally peaceful person. I tend to get easily distracted and upset by life not being “fair”, or agitated when things do not go exactly as I had planned. I am flawed. Yet so much greater than this is that I am also loved. Above all else, Christ has laid down his life for me. I owe it to Him to do my best to try to find inner peace. It is often a battle. My mind races at night, dwelling on what might go wrong. Yet, by listening to the Word of God as I fall asleep, I am calmed and reminded of who I really am. I am a child of God, who belongs to Him, and that is more than enough.
We may not always know where we belong or how each passing moment might unfold. While I may not be at peace of my own accord, with God’s grace, He will remain in me as a source of peace through the Holy Spirit. He will help me find the way. The Holy Spirit resides in each of us, guiding us, so that in each passing moment we can become more like Christ. Pope Benedict XVI explained, “Every person carries within himself, a project of God, a personal vocation, a personal idea of God, on what he is required to do in history to build his Church, a living temple of his presence.” (Pastoral Visit to the Parish of St. Felicity and her Children, Martyrs, March 25, 2007) we each have a calling, a reason for why God has created you and me. We have been chosen and should be excited to share God’s glory with all we encounter. As Jesus explained to St Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
“Loving God, please grant me peace of mind and calm my troubled heart. My soul is like a turbulent sea. I can’t seem to find my balance so I stumble and worry constantly. Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path you’ve laid out for me” (Author Unknown).
Daily Reading
Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading I Genesis 32:23-33 In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives, with the two maidservants and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the…
Saint of the Day
Sts. Aquila and Priscilla
Sts. Aquila and Priscilla
Feast date: Jul 08
Saints Aquila and Priscilla were a Jewish couple from Rome who had been exiled to Corinth, and were friends of St. Paul in the first century. They hosted St. Paul on his visit to that city and were probably converted by him. They are mentioned a few times in the New Testament in glowing terms by their friend Paul, who calls them “my helpers in Christ, who have for my life laid down their own necks” (Romans 16:3-4).They were tentmakers, thus sharing the same profession as Paul, and because of this it is thought that Paul may have worked with them. Acts 18:18-19 tells us that they accompanied Paul to Ephesus and stayed there with him for three years.In the era of house churches – when Mass was always celebrated in the house of one of the Christian community – their house was an important one.According to tradition they were martyred in Rome on their return, probably around the same time as St. Paul.