By Arun D. csc –
Readings: Acts 19: 1-8; Jn 16: 29-33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The pain of being abandoned by someone whom we love is unbearable. In the case of Jesus too, this was not different. He knew that most of his followers would desert him when it mattered the most, afraid to be seen with him because their own life would be at risk. He knew that he would be isolated. Human relationships can be disappointing.
This is understandable. Yet Jesus remained calm, and he was at peace because he knew that he was not truly alone. Jesus held on to that peace, offering prayers to God even as he breathed his last. He showed us that we are never truly alone, and nobody can snatch away the peace from us. He says, “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” The greatest thing in life is to realize that the Father is with us and this realization would give us lasting peace and freedom deep down in our hearts.
In the first reading, we witness the empowerment of the people through showering of Holy Spirit through the laying of hands by St Paul. The Holy Spirit gives us this freedom and courage to speak the gospel boldly and to remain in peace. In moments of loneliness and disappointment, we can pray to the Lord to bless us with the mind of Christ who said, “yet I am not alone, my Father is with me.”