Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 12, 2020
Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
“And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.”
Peace seems as ephemeral as a soap bubble. I think of the times I have found it: in nature’s beauty on a mountaintop or beside restful waters; in space away from a wailing infant or clinging toddler or grumpy teenager; in an empty classroom before the bell rings; in the silence of my car before I start it; in the pause before a difficult conversation. This was peace ‘as the world gives’, fleeting, a respite. Jesus offers us profound peace, shalom, a wholeness that comes from our close connection to him. It is not peace instead of the trials, but peace in the midst of them.
This gift comes with a caveat: the need to trust. Jesus tells his disciples, and us by extension that he is going away. The disciples could not possibly grasp the coming crucifixion and suffering as they experienced Jesus’ physical absence and the longing and fear that went with it. We cannot possibly guess what the coming months of uncertainty will mean for us and sometimes we experience Jesus’ perceived absence when we feel alone, distant, distraught or overwhelmed. But he has promised to come back and that puts the onus on us to trust in his constancy, and believe that his peace that is not of this world, but so much deeper.
We are Easter people who have experienced the resurrection and we are beneficiaries of Pentecost who have received the Holy Spirit as this timely season reminds us. Therefore, as Jesus tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Treasure the moments of fleeting calm, but trust the depth of Jesus’ abiding peace.
Prayer
Dear God, our campus, our neighborhoods, our world longs for the peace that can only come from you. Help us to place our cares and our hearts in your hands. Your Son taught us to trust in you and the mystery of the cross. Help us when we are afraid to trust in you and your promise of new life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Saint of the Day
Sts. Nereus and Acheilleus were soldiers in the Roman army who were killed for refusing to participate further in persecuting Christians.
The Church has long honored these two saints, and the only certain history we have about them comes from an inscription that was placed above their tomb by Pope St. Damasus. Though it has worn away, we have records of what it said from pilgrims who visited their tomb and copied down the inscription. It describes the two soldiers who followed orders to persecute and kill Christians until they followed the truth they saw in Christ:
“The martyrs Nereus and Achilleus had enrolled themselves in the army and exercised the cruel office of carrying out the orders of the tyrant, being ever ready through the constraint of fear to obey his will. O miracle of faith! Suddenly they cease from their fury, they become converted, they fly from the camp of their wicked leader; they throw away their shields, their armor, and their blood-stained javelins. Confessing the faith of Christ, they rejoice to bear testimony to its triumph. Learn now from the words of Damasus what great things the glory of Christ can accomplish.”
We do not know how the two were martyred, though they were probably beheaded because they were Roman citizens. We can suppose that they, more than most Christians of the day, knew what consequences they would face because of their profession of faith.
A later legend arose about these two martyrs, which stated that they served Domitilla, the grand-niece of the emperor who was exiled for professing her faith. It is likely that this story is inaccurate, though, and simply comes from the fact that they were buried in a cemetery named after Domitilla.
Relics of these two martyrs do rest in reliquary chapel of the Basilica, however. They are depicted here with Domitilla, who used to be listed as a saint, but was removed due to a lack of historical evidence.
Sts. Nereus and Acheilleus, you were martyred for refusing to follow orders to kill Christians—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Sts. Nereus and Acheilleus is in the public domain. Last accessed March 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
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