![\"campeggioaElba](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/613\/2016\/05\/campeggioaElba-154-300x201.jpg\")
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During the Season of Easter we hear every day at Mass how the newborn church expanded.\u00a0 The Book of the Acts of the Apostles provides unique insight into the joys and challenges faced by our Christian ancestors.\u00a0 One of the greatest controversies faced by the first disciples of Jesus was this: should baptized Christians observe the Law of Moses or not?\u00a0 Should Christians follow the prescribed laws of the Old Testament, primarily circumcision?\u00a0 With these questions in mind, the apostles gathered in Jerusalem to pray, and guided by the Holy Spirit, made a decision: Christians were only to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals and from unlawful marriage. In time of turmoil and disagreement, the Church turned to the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus in order to find truth and peace.<\/p>\n
Jesus taught us, \u201cdo not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.\u201d\u00a0 The Holy Spirit watches over the Church, teaches her, protects her and guides her; and will do so until the end of time.\u00a0 Jesus promised to be with the one Church he founded and has done so throughout the centuries.<\/p>\n
In the Gospel Jesus grants His peace to the apostles, \u201cPeace I leave with you; my peace I give you,\u201d words we repeat at every single Mass before we are invited to share a sign of peace with each other.\u00a0\u00a0 In times of turmoil we too ask for peace as the early apostles did.\u00a0 What kind of peace does Jesus grant us if He also says, \u201cnot as the world gives peace do I give it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
The peace of Christ is a peace that runs deep within our being.\u00a0 It is grounded on our unwavering trust in God\u2019s mercy and love. \u00a0Christ is the Prince of Peace who calms the storm while his apostles despair on the boat, thinking they are going to sink.\u00a0 Likewise he calms the storms that rage deep within our hearts that oftentimes make us despair, because we are deceived into thinking we too are going to sink.<\/p>\n
The peace Christ gives us allows us to face the challenges of life unafraid, trusting in the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 This does not mean the absence of difficulty or suffering, Jesus said after all, \u201cpick up your cross and follow me.\u201d\u00a0 The peace of Christ makes our hearts still and receptive so we may joyfully and peacefully engage the storms of life with Christ.<\/p>\n
Consider the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 When the angel Gabriel announced to her she would conceive a child and that this child was the awaited descendent of David, Mary surely had plenty of anxiety and distress.\u00a0 Had she allowed these to take over, she may have said no.\u00a0 She placed her trust in God and said \u201cyes.\u201d\u00a0 Though a sword still pierced her heart, though she suffered greatly after saying \u201cyes\u201d to God by seeing her son ridiculed and crucified, all these things she endured in peace, knowing that Jesus Christ was at her side.<\/p>\n
The world may be falling apart, but the peace of Christ deep within the heart can remain unshaken.\u00a0 There are many things that trouble our hearts and make us afraid, but we must be confident that with Christ we conquer all things.<\/p>\n
Picture is mine, all right reserved. \u00a0Picture taken at Isle of Elba, Italy of me praying by the water, 2007.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During the Season of Easter we hear every day at Mass how the newborn church expanded.\u00a0 The Book of the Acts of the Apostles provides unique insight into the joys and challenges faced by our Christian ancestors.\u00a0 One of the greatest controversies faced by the first disciples of Jesus was this: should baptized Christians observe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":1801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[55,198,154],"class_list":["post-1800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-easter","tag-peace","tag-trust"],"yoast_head":"\n