May 25 2025 - Sixth Sunday of Easter

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

    Today’s Gospel places us in the Upper Room during the Last Supper. Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure. These are His farewell words—not filled with anxiety, but with deep love, consolation, and a promise of peace. He says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” This peace is not simply the absence of conflict or a momentary feeling of calm. It’s a gift rooted in Jesus’ very presence—a peace that endures even in the midst of suffering, uncertainty, and change. This is the peace that allowed early Christians to sing in prison, to forgive their persecutors, and to live with joyful hearts even when the world was against them.

    The peace that the world offers is fragile. It depends on circumstances—on health, wealth, security, and success. But all of those things can be lost. The peace of Christ, however, is unshakable, because it comes from a Person—not from a situation. His peace comes from knowing that we are loved, forgiven, and never abandoned. When Jesus speaks these words, He knows He is about to suffer betrayal, denial, and death. Yet His heart is not troubled. Why? Because He is anchored in the Father’s will, and He trusts in the power of God’s love.

    Jesus also promises something astonishing: “We will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” This is the language of intimacy. If we love Jesus and keep His word, the Father and the Son will dwell within us through the Holy Spirit. This is more than poetic language. It’s the heart of our Christian life: that God desires to make His home in you. He doesn’t want a casual relationship—He wants communion. He doesn’t just visit; He abides. Are our hearts ready to be that dwelling place? Do we keep His word? Do we make space for Him through prayer, silence, obedience, and charity?

     Jesus speaks also of the Advocate—the Holy Spirit—whom the Father will send in His name. This Spirit will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus said. The Spirit is not a distant figure but the very breath of God within us. Especially as we draw closer to Pentecost, we’re reminded that the Christian life is not a self-help project. It’s not about willpower alone. It’s about allowing the Holy Spirit to guide, to teach, and to empower us for holiness and mission.

Jesus ends today’s passage with these words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” How timely they are for us today. So many are burdened—by illness, war, anxiety about the future, or the wounds of the past. And yet, in the midst of it all, Christ speaks this same word to each of us: Peace. Let us receive His peace anew. Let us allow the Father and the Son to dwell within us. And let us be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who speaks not in noise, but in the quiet of hearts that are open. May this Eucharist strengthen us to be instruments of that peace around us by carrying within us the presence of the Blessed Trinity. God bless everyone always!!!

Fr. Stan