Prayer Prompt before reading JN 16:29-33: Come, Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray, interpret the Scriptures for me so that I may know the Truth about who God the Father is and God the Son so that I may know who I am.
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.” JN 16:29-33
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
“Peace” is a biblical term. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for peace is shalôm. Literally, it means “to be complete or whole” (Mauro Rodriguez, New Catholic Encyclopedia, 11, 37). Shalôm is used in many different ways in the Old Testament. It can mean general prosperity or well-being (Gen. 15:15; Ps. 4:8), safety or success (2 Sam. 11:7; 18:29), harmony among friends and family members (Zech. 6:13); and harmony among nations (1 Kgs. 4:24; 5:12). When used as a greeting or as a blessing (as it was and is used by Hebrew speakers) it conveys the notion that one is wishing all good things to the person addressed (2 Sam 15:9). -Catholic Answers
Do you have peace in Jesus? He reminds us that we will have trouble in this world, but if we stay true to Him, we will have peace because He has conquered the world. Jesus brings peace because He makes us complete or whole again with the Father through His death and resurrection. Catholics have had the answer for the coming of the end of the world for a long time.
It was when Jesus died and resurrected. He conquered sin and death, the world, and made all things right. He reordered everything that was disfigured. He rightly ordered the relationships that Adam and Eve broke with the Original Sin. As fallen human beings, we have inherited sin, which gives us a warped view of God. Each day we wake we have an inclination to sin.
The saints have been able to see through this warped view and through the devil’s veil. They were able to live in peace (complete or whole). It doesn’t mean they didn’t suffer, oh, they suffered well. If we seek this peace, Jesus teaches us that we have to resist the world, practice self-control of the flesh, and fight the devil’s temptations. It requires prayer and fasting.
It is also important to read the Scriptures daily. God’s word is living and effective. The Scriptures are where we befriend Jesus, develop a personal relationship with the living God. God’s word reminds us each time we read it that we are loved right now just the way we are. Jesus is the Truth and He makes everything clear. Especially this week as we prepare for Pentecost we should ask the Holy Spirit to guide us each day and in moments of worry or confusion.
One of the most important gems I have ever found to bring peace in my life is the consecration to Jesus through Mary every year. According to St. Louis de Montfort, it is the quickest way to holiness. It is called “Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary”. God’s peace can be found in prayer. Take time each day just to listen to what God wants to tell you about who He is and what He made you for.
A faithful sacramental life is required to receive this peace Jesus offers. The sacraments are the vehicles of God’s grace and we have fight to stay in the state of grace. To receive this peace we are called to be servants and missionaries in our own home, school, and community by helping our neighbor in need. Then, we too will see the face of God, see through the warped view the world and the devil have to offer, and be holy, at peace with Jesus. ”Take courage, I have conquered the world”. Allow Christ to live in you and you too can conquer the world!
Today’s challenge: Be complete or whole, at peace, with God. Reconcile, forgive, make peace with others.
#Christian YODO (You Only Die Once; we will live again!)
Be a servant, be a saint today!
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