Peace of Mind

We who know Jesus know we can trust the information he has given us. He wants us to have peace of mind and peaceful hearts. In that gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday of Easter (John 14: 26-27) Jesus, in one of his Last Supper discourses, says, 

   “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.” 

St. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians (5:22-23), tells us that

      …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity

      faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

 All those fruits truly contribute to our peace of mind. St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans (14:17-18),

       For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness,

       peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to

       God and approved by others.

 It sounds like peace of mind to me! We will celebrate Pentecost in less than two weeks, but let’s celebrate even now the Holy Spirit’s peace-giving inspirational presence in our lives! The Spirit surely helps me when I write my blog posts, and I am so grateful!

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Stained-glass image of the Holy Spirit by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican.

The scripture passages are from the Catholic Study Bible, New American Bible, New York, Oxford University Press, 1990. All rights reserved.

Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Manchester, Connecticut. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.