One of the things I hear consistently is there is so much division in the world and society today. People have lost sight in listening to one another, and it has caused fractures. We can all think of recent examples of violence and conflict. It could be global conflicts like the warfare in Ukraine, national violence like the recent shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, or our own homes and families. The conflicts that wage over varying opinions and damaging words or actions are endless.

The gospel this weekend gives us some hope, but not what we may want. We hear Jesus offering His peace. We can come to know Christ’s peace when we are in relationship with Him and love Him more than anything in this world. With this relationship comes His peace and comfort, but that peace is within us. You see, Jesus’ peace is not about changing someone else, but about changing us. We can only change our heart and reflect that peace to others. As much as we may want to change a situation or someone else, do we need to look at ourselves and change our hearts? How can we invite the Holy Spirit into a relationship, situation, conflict and allow it to work within us and change us? What needs to be changed so we know of Christ’s peace this week? Let us be filled with the peace that Jesus speaks of in our gospel and let our hearts not be troubled.