Pope: Jesus' peace, humor in the midst of persecution

At Mass in Santa Martha, Pope Francis says that peace can also be lived in "tribulations", as indicated by the eighth beatitude: "Blessed are you when they revile you ...". The "gift of peace" - different from "anxiolytics" - brings fortitude with it, the ability to "bear" everything. And it makes the "the heart smile".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The "peace of Jesus", given by Jesus, has the power to make people live within a life of "persecution, of tribulation", without ever losing "a sense of humor". Pope Francis said this this morning in his homily at the Mass in Casa Santa Marta.

Commenting on the two readings of today - Acts 14, 19-28, which speaks of the difficulties experienced by St. Paul in Lystra, and the Gospel, John 14, 27-31, in which Jesus gives "his" peace to the disciples - the pontiff emphasized that "tribulations" and "peace" can go together, as suggested by the "last beatitude": "Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you.”

Pope Francis recalled “The peace of Jesus goes with this life of persecution, of tribulation. A peace that is deep down, deep down, very profound to all these things. A peace that no one can touch, a peace that is a gift, like the sea that deep down is tranquil, while on the surface there are waves. Living in peace with Jesus is having this experience within, which remains during all trials, all difficulties, all “tribulations”.

This, the Pope said, is the gift of the “peace of Jesus”, he said, that we cannot obtain through human means, like going to a doctor or taking anti-anxiety drugs. “Peace, the peace of Jesus, teaches us to go forward in life. It teaches us to endure. To endure: a word we don’t understand well, a very Christian word, it means to carry a burden. To endure, to carry the burden of life, the difficulties, the labour, everything, without losing peace; but rather bearing the burden and having the courage to go forward. This can only be understood when there is the Holy Spirit within, who gives us the peace of Jesus.”

Pope Francis concluded that this gift of Jesus can help us to go forward in life with an even greater capacity, the ability to “make the heart smile”. ”The person who lives this peace never loses their sense of humour. They know how to smile at themselves, at others, even when things are dark they know how to smile at everything… this sense of humour which is very close to the grace of God. The peace of Jesus in daily life, the peace of Jesus in tribulations and with that little sense of humour that helps us breathe easier. May the Lord grant us this peace that comes from the Holy Spirit, this peace that comes precisely from Him, and that helps us to endure, to carry, the many difficulties in life.”