Today’s Gospel is a continuation of Jesus’ Last Supper discourse in which he talks about his departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, on Ascension Sunday, we heard from the conclusion of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). Before he ascended to be at the right hand of the Father, “Jesus approached [the disciples] and said to them, ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.’”
My sisters and brothers in Christ, this promise from our Lord Jesus Christ that he will be with us until the end of the age is through the gift of the Holy Spirit, which we received at Baptism and sealed with at Confirmation. Jesus’ promise to be with us until the end of the age, through his Spirit, should give us the courage to live boldly as disciples of Christ in the midst of the troubles in the world that can rob us of the peace that God desires for us in his Son However, as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, he has conquered the world and so we have faith that the troubles in the world, and more specifically, those in our own lives too shall pass.
Throughout Sacred Scripture, the inspired words of God through the Holy Spirit, we find this promise and it gives us hope. From Ecclesiastes (3:1-9), we hear: “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die. . . A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. . . a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. . . A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” Life is full of ups and downs. Jesus does not promise that life will be easy. What Jesus promises is that he will not leave us “orphans” (John 14:18) but that where he is there we may also be with him (14:3).
Moreover, in his Second Letter to the Corinthians (4:17-18), Saint Paul tells us: “For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” And again, in his Letter to the Romans (8:18): “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” Someone I know lost her son a few months ago and what she shared with me is a testament to her faith. She wrote: “Our Blessed Mother Mary, I leaned on her more than ever during the time I lost my son. I continue to lean on her to this day and I ask her to give me a small portion of the strength she has to carry this pain. God's plan is beyond our understanding” (May 15, 2026).
My sisters and brothers in Christ, let us find courage to persevere in faith. Let us have hope even in the face of all the troubles in the world, knowing in our hearts that God loves us and desires his peace for all of us. More importantly, inspired by the Holy Spirit who the Father and Son send to us, let us live in the peace of Christ and share his peace with all we encounter in our lives.
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