Fear versus Peace
Tuesday, 5th week in Eastertide
Acts 14: 19-28; Jn 14: 27-31
The other day I got to see a forward that someone sent, a lady speaking about an alleged intellectual subversion that is happening in India. And her entire argument was that the intellectual cream of the nation is getting together under the patronage of Non-Hindu forces and subverting the entire Hindu Rashtrya, and that the dream of Hindu Rashtrya is being squashed to nothing. I could see the fear that was in her and that she intended to drive home into the minds of the listeners, giving the example of South Korea which was just 4% Christian in 1900, 18% in 1970s and over 40% in 1990 and she likened that fact to Kerala in India! Again, what I could see there was all FEAR...as we see in the first reading today. The Jews feared the rising acceptability of the new Way that they witnessed.
On the other hand we have the apostles in the same scenario: Paul and Barnabas and even others - they were calm and composed, fearless and daring, unmoved even in the face of death. What we can see here is all PEACE. The Word is teaching us today, the opposite of Peace is Fear! Where there is fear there is no peace! When fear disappears, Peace reigns. Jesus was about to go, not on a pleasant journey but on a trial and a real suffering unto death, but there is absolutely no trace of fear in him. The reason: he loved his Father and he was convinced his Father loved him! And he wishes that his disciples loved him much, and believed in his love for them.
When we love God, and when we are convinced of the love that God has for us, we will have a Peace that no fear can take away! Peace be with you!