PEACE

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At the last Supper when Christ promised the Holy Spirit to his followers, also promised peace and joy to them;

"Peace I leave with you,my peace I give to you" (John 14:27).

In the first place, Jesus is our harmony and we dwell in him by the spirit and he breaks down all
barriers of sin and enmities that give us no peace. According to St Paul,

"It is he who is our peace and breaks down the dividing wall of enmities " (Ephesians 2:14).

The man, growing in the Spirit should be identified as a man of peace,

"The tendency of the flesh is toward death but that of the Spirit is toward life and peace " (Romans 8).

The Christian that wishes to grow in the Spirit has to seek peace always such that his or her disposition must be in harmony with Christ. This should be perceptible to all, who come in contact with such a Christian.

Jesus' victory over Satan in the wilderness and his victory over sin on the cross has been a triumph of joy both for us Christians and for Christ. It follows that any Christian who follows the ways of the Holy Spirit must radiate this joy always. Also, Jesus speaks of himself as a man of joy.

"All this I tell you that my joy may be yours and your joy may be complete " (John 15; Il).

Jesus, therefore wants all his followers to be joyful and to rejoice always in his name, even though, I they may be facing persecution as a result of following him. Articulating this fact, Jesus notes,

” I say this while I am still in the world that they may share joy completely, I gave them your word, and the word has hated them for it. "(John 17:14).

The joy Jesus is talking about involves inner tranquilly, satisfaction, peace, harmony that transcend earthly joy but includes it and can only be experienced by those who follow his ways sincerely. In addressing his disciples,

”… then your hearts will rejoice with a joy one can take from you” (John 16:22)

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It should be noted that, Jesus did not take suffering out of human life but he made joy come out of its fruits, a paradox incomprehensible to the persecutors of the first Christians and to non-Christians today. During the time of the apostles, they were filled with joy amidst persecutions because of the Spirit of God in them. For instance, the apostles were beaten up and expelled from the cities, they did not feel bad or see the action as hostile, rather,

"The disciples could not but be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:52).

Also, Paul was happy when he realized that his early converts were following the Lord because of thejoy and peace they perceived in the disciples and he was able to exhort them in the following words,

"You, in turn became initiators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word despite trials, with the joy that comes front the Holy Spirit" (l Thessalonians l: 16).

We are therefore made for joy because we are expected to always rejoice in the Lord. We have been called to return to God who made us and our return is a turn to joy. Joy is not just a superficial pleasant feeling, because joy is consistent with great suffering, and with long times of darkness and confusion. This is particularly true, because our joy has meaning and is eschatological. It is deeply linked with our supernatural destiny, that is to say, in communion of love, in eternal joy of God who is Love. Paul tells Christians to

"Be happy at all times (l Thessalonians 5:16).

and

"to rejoice in the Lord always... " (Philippians 4:4).

To be sure, the mark of those growing in the Spirit is joy. They are always happy people and the joy in them gives them peace of mind, which is perceptible to all around them. The happiness in them is always there even when they are in difficulties; the courage with which they accept such situations shows their unwavering faith in the Holy
Spirit. Peace in its profound biblical sense means harmony, integrity, wholeness and the only person that will guarantee this in the life of Christians is God through the action of the Holy Spirit.

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We are, therefore in harmonious relationship with God, when we recognize the incredible gift of grace that we share as sons and daughters of God and through our brother, Jesus Christ. Also, when we allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, then we are not only in harmony with the triune God but also with ourselves, with others and with the created world. Truly, the Christian's joy can only be complete when he sees God face to face on the last day. This is what growth in the Spirit will finally help us achieve.

GOD BLESS YOU