At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks words that are tender, deeply human, and full of divine promise. He is preparing his disciples for his departure—not only his death, but his ascension. It is a moment of goodbye, yet also of hope. There’s a difference between a “see you again” and adieu “to God”. Jesus does not say adieu — He promises “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” He does not leave us alone. He leaves us with himself, through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers four great gifts: love, Word, peace, and the Spirit. He begins with a condition for intimacy with God: “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” Here we find the great mystery of the Trinity—not a distant doctrine, but a lived experience. God chooses to dwell in us. We become temples of the living God, not because of our worthiness, but through love and obedience to Christ’s Word.
This message must have been especially consoling for John’s community, who had seen the Jerusalem Temple destroyed. Jesus assures them that the true temple now is not a building, but the human heart alive in grace. God makes his home in us. Not far, not absent — but hidden in the ordinary: in bread and wine, in a stranger’s face, in whispered prayers, in the messy, beautiful fabric of daily life.
This indwelling is sustained by the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls the Advocate. His role is twofold: to teach us and to remind us of what Jesus taught. The Spirit will not bring a new revelation, but deepen our understanding of the one Truth already revealed in Jesus. The word Paraclete means “He who walks beside.” We are never alone.
Jesus then gives us his peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” This is not the fragile peace the world offers—temporary, conditional, anxious. No, his peace is shalom—wholeness, harmony, rootedness in God’s presence. It is the peace of Christ facing betrayal, arrest, and the Cross, yet still able to love, forgive, and console.
This peace is offered to us—especially when we feel alone, uncertain, or afraid. We live in a world marked by isolation, where many feel adrift and abandoned. But Christ says to each of us: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid.
We are invited anew to be people of peace, led by the Spirit. Let us not only believe this in our heads, but live it in our relationships—with family, with strangers, with those who challenge us. The Spirit will teach us how. Let us listen. And let our listening become love in action.
“Lord, give me your peace, give me your Holy Spirit.”
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
