Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

- John 14:15-31

Our current readings are at the Last Supper, and Jesus is giving the disciples what is called His Final Discourse.  In yesterday's reading, He said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.   If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.   Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  My study bible comments that an original text reads, ". . . you will keep . . .."   Either way, we read of a direct correlation between loving Christ and keeping His commandments.

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  The Helper (in Greek, parakletos/παράκλητος) is the Holy Spirit. This word also means "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."    It was used as word for attorney in New Testament times, and implies someone who gives proper counsel, judgment, who can give evidence on one's behalf.  The Spirit of truth, my study bible says, is in each believer, and we are called to know Him.  The Holy Spirit prays in us and for us when we don't know how to pray, which enables us to pray in Christ's name (14:13-14; Romans 8:26).  The Holy Spirit also gives us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11).  Note how Christ says this implies He will not leave us orphans; the Holy Spirit is also a Person, fully representative for Christ and His commands, as Christ fully "represents" the Father for us (14:7).  

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study bible tells us that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

"At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."   That day is referring to Pentecost.  St. John Chrysostom is cited by my study bible, who says that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them [the disciples] all things."  Let us note the union of the Holy Trinity that Jesus says is present to all who have his commandments and keep them -- and this is a union of love between person and Persons.  This is not slavish obedience to a harsh and punishing God, but the opposite, a voluntary love.  Out of love for Him we keep His word, and the Father will love us in turn -- and Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will make Their home with us.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  A note in my study bible here says that we have confidence in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance not only the words of Christ, but also their meaning.  The Holy Spirit is our Instructor, working in the Church from Pentecost until today, leading us toward the fullness of truth (16:13).  My study bible quotes St. Irenaeus:  "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  Peace was the customary Jewish word for both greeting and farewell.  My study bible comments that perfect peace is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).   Peace is also part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3), and "Peace be to all" as greeting is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church. 

"If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study bible comments that My Father is greater than I does not mean greater in nature or in essence.  The Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does it mean that the Son is created, as the Son is begotten from all eternity.  Instead, what it means is that the Father, as Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  But let us note clearly that the emphasis here is on rejoicing; Christ is magnified and glorified through His mission given by the Father.  In turn, He may "lift us up" with Him.

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."  Before it comes is referring to Christ's coming Passion.  My study bible comments that to tell these events beforehand is strengthening the faith of the disciples.

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."  The ruler of this world is the devil.  My study bible says that the devil dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  Jesus says that the devil has nothing in Me as there is no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Jesus became a human being, but He was never stained with sin.  

"But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  As always, Christ returns to His union with the Father.  He has emphasized in this discourse so far that if we love Him we will keep His commandments.  And so He loves the Father and the Father loves Him:  He keeps the Father's commandment so that the world may know of His love.

"Arise, let us go from here."  At this point Jesus takes the disciples to another room or location.  My study bible says that this is in order to complete His discourse with their undivided attention.  According to St. Chrysostom, their present location at the site of the Passover supper was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.

Christ speaks of love.  Love is the connection between His disciples and Himself and the Father and Himself.  Love is the connection between God and us.  Jesus tells us, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him," and, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  Love is the glue that makes all of this possible; it is the glue that gives us His commands to follow in loyalty and through love.  It is the glue that binds the Father to us in turn.  And through the Father comes the Holy Spirit:  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  The Father will send the Holy Spirit in Christ name to teach us all things, and to bring to our remembrance all that Christ has said.  Let us concern ourselves with this love that is enacted through these things, in which embrace we are contained and held.  We are given a Helper, through Whom we are embraced in love by all that is in God, in the paradise He establishes even when we suffer on earth and yet are contained in this embrace.  And this is where we find that peace.  In the midst of turmoil and tribulation, we know that we are loved indeed.  We have His words, His love, His Person, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Above all else, this is peace:  "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  Just as Jesus always returns to His relationship to the Father, throughout all questions and turmoils and judgments and hostilities, so we return to this embrace and this relationship of person and Persons, this communion against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.   Jesus goes to His hour of glory, making all the rest possible, leaving us with His words of peace, and an admonition against fear.  Let us remember His words when we, too, meet the ruler of this world in our own lives, as His faithful who love Him and keep His commandments.  Let us also glorify God that we may in turn be glorified.