My Peace I give to you
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27)
Dear Parishioners,
As we start 2015 there is nothing that should resonate more in our lives than the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Saint John which we proclaim on the first day of the year. If we look around us and especially in our inner soul, we find that our world (both personal and universal) is craving for this peace. War, destruction and poverty have become the order of the day. Not just in the world that we live in but also within the depths of our own families, communities, par-ishes and within ourselves.
War
War within ourselves and between ourselves and the ones that we love! We talk about love and forgiveness but are we truly forgiving those who have harmed us? Further, do we even forgive ourselves let alone others? Are we stretching forth our hand as a sign of love even to those who betray our trust?
Destruction
Destruction by the things that we say and the actions or reactions that we take! Too many times our words, actions and reactions destroy those who we love or come into contact with. Do we even pay attention to the fact that we are destroy-ing the other by our remarks, our looks or our attitudes?
Poverty
Poverty is not just material! The bigger threat is the danger of the poverty of the soul and spirit. This has a more damaging effect than any form of material poverty. Have we ever considered that poverty lies in the way that we think about our-selves and in our relationship with God and the other?
My Peace I give to you
Jesus was clear when he said “my peace I give to you”. It is not any kind of peace! It is the peace that transcends from the love of God the Father in heaven. It is the peace that transcends from the life and unity of the Holy Trinity. We are all called to activate this peace in our lives – in our families, in our parish, in our workplace but most of all in our inner soul. It is only this peace that will rid us of the war, destruction and poverty that exists in our lives.
I pray that together as one parish we can truly experience the peace of our Lord and Saviour. Like Mary and Joseph who found peace when they found Jesus in the Temple, like the waters of the Jordan river that transmitted the peace of the Messiah opening up the heavens, come and find this peace that you are yearning for in the most Holy and Blessed Sacra-ment, come and find this peace in the one who is that peace that never ends.
Also a very big thank you to everyone who helped with the organisation of all the events during the Christmas Season. Your hard work and dedication is truly a testament to your faith and the love that you have for your church.
