Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

Peace is a gift and a task. Jesus says, “Peace I give to you” (v 27). But it is not the peace that the world gives. The “peace of the world” is fought for and “won”—by violence, by arms race, by dubious political talk, and oftentimes, by heartbreaking legal battles.

The peace that Jesus gives is received in hearts that trust God, hearts that cling on to the values of dialogue, love, forgiveness, and God’s justice, no matter what. Why is this peace important? Jesus knew the travails that his disciples would suffer upon his death and departure. Hence, he wants to assure them of the much needed help and guidance. He now reveals to them the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom God the Father will send in his name.

The Spirit will be their Teacher; he will help them remember Jesus’ words and teach them how to apply these in the challenging situations ahead of them. We have a clear example of this action of the Holy Spirit in the First Reading today (Acts 15). The early Church welcomed the influx of new believers who were not of Jewish origin. With this came the ensuing question: what were the essential practices that should be safeguarded together with their faith in Christ.

The leaders of the community, after consultation and discernment among themselves and with the whole Church, communicated: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities…”

In our present times, even if appearances seem to show otherwise, we know that this kind of peace, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7), exists and helps Christ’s disciples move forward.

Many people who have suffered grave injustice in life have also become outspoken advocates of Christian forgiveness and lasting peace. We have one example from the life of Martin Luther King Jr., a Christian minister and a human rights advocate. He inspires us: “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.

There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

Let us then invoke the Holy Spirit to come to our aid, to fill our hearts with Christ’s love and peace. Only then will we be able to bear every blow that life pounces on us and even find the joy to continue witnessing to the presence and peace of Christ in our world.