Homily on John 14:27-31a — Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled  

 Homily on John 14:27-31a — Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

 One day, a young boy was walking with his father through a narrow mountain path. Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, thunder roared, and lightning flashed. The boy was afraid and held firmly to the hand of his father and asked, “Papa, are we going to die?” The father comforted the child and said, “As long as we trust in  Lord Jesus and you hold my hand, nothing will happen to us and we will reach home safely. Those words strengthened the boy, and the storm could not stop his peace — because of his trust in his father who was walking with him.

Dear brothers and sisters, today Jesus speaks to us a very deep and comforting word, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He is not speaking this when everything is peaceful. He says it just before His own suffering and death. The disciples are about to lose Him. Fear is coming. Confusion is coming. Pain is coming. And yet, Jesus gives them peace.

We all go through storms, some in the body, some in the family and some in the heart. Trouble is something every human knows. But Jesus says something very special : do not let your heart be troubled. In other words, trouble may knock at your door, but don’t let it enter and stay in your heart.

Jesus does not promise a life without problems. He promises a heart that will not be shaken. The peace He gives is different. It is not the peace of this world, which depends on situations. It is the peace that comes from trusting God even when everything outside seems to be falling apart.

Look at Joseph in the Old Testament. His brothers betrayed him. He was sold as a slave. Thrown into prison. Forgotten. And yet, his heart was not troubled. He trusted God’s hand in the middle of the darkness. In the end, God raised him up, and he forgave those who hurt him. That is the peace Jesus is talking about.

Dear friends, Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “My peace I give to you.” He is handing us something holy, something deep. The world’s peace says, “All your problems must go away.” But Jesus’ peace says, “Even if your problems stay, I will stay with you.”

A writer once said, “Peace is not when the storm stops. It is when the storm cannot touch your heart.” That is the peace Jesus wants to give us.

Think again of that little boy walking in the storm. He did not stop the thunder. He did not stop the lightning. But he held his father’s hand. And the one who holds the hand of Jesus — even if the world breaks — will not be broken.

Let your house be a place of peace, let your tongue speak words of peace, let peace shine in our eyes and  carry peace like a treasure in your heart and above all, do not let your heart be troubled.

Jesus, hold my hand and give me your peace.