25 May, Sunday — Living the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ comes through obedience

6th Sunday of Easter

Acts 15:1-2,22-29
Apo 21:10-14,22-23
Jn 14:23-29

“Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

The peace the world gives, what kind of peace is it? Defining peace breeds the character of choice in looking into the account of existence.

The word peace evokes an understanding of calmness and coolness that everything works out right. However, it depends on how and where the peace is acquired.

“My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth”, says the Lord. This puts a razor-implant and distinguishable note between peace on the side of our Lord Jesus Christ and peace that supports the targets of unbelievers. Peace as the world gives is leveraged on worldly methods and circumstances.

Peace the world is practicing is temporary and dabbed with the thrust of imperfections.

The peace Our Lord Jesus Christ gives is divine in nature, the one that “let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid”.  Living the peace in Our Lord Jesus Christ comes through obedience; it is peace laced with obedience and trailing reassurances.

These assurances are listed in John’s Gospel. They include availability of homes in heaven for the believers, Christ’s position as the major gateway to God, and He is in God and God in Him. These assurances in John, Ch.14, are given as clear indicators that His peace is different from that of the world. Living this peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ comes through a life sustained by dedication to extraordinary conditions pleasing to God.

In 2015, this revelation came as a testament of a life of fulfilment for a young priest, whose trials and achievements tell the story of the conditions alluding peace of Christ.

Rev. Fr. Michael was born in Northern Nigeria; he grew up an orphan and lived without parental care. In utter destitution, he was labelled a wanderer, escaping the trappings of hoodlums in the locality he lived.

The call of divine placement would dictate his direction when an elderly priest spotted him and ventured to accept him as a houseboy. He walked through the steps of this relationship to become a priest — and he was ordained a priest in 2005. Two years after his ordination, he was sent on missionary service in a country in Northwest Africa where terror of hostility was escalating and killing of Christians was on the rise.

His survival was another test of God’s miracle; he built a wall of acceptance around his feelings, knowing all he had to crave for was God’s peace. Gradually, he forged a good tool of approach in dealing with the locals.

He taught the people the message, “lasting peace comes from Jesus”, and promoted this message to gain massive followership. 

Today, the people in the community have grown to stretch their thoughts beyond ‘material peace’ that is dependent on circumstances. Everyone understands the peace that is domiciled in Our Lord Jesus Christ. In 2015, Rev. Fr. Michael celebrated his 10 years priestly anniversary. Telling his story in his book, “My Peace Comes from Jesus”, he wrote, “my life started from the ashes of hope that peace of Christ is maintaining.”

(Today’s Oxygen by Julius Otusorochukwu Dike)

Prayer: Lord, please help us to pursue and walk on the track of  obedience pleasing to God in our determination to gain the peace promised by Our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe this is of absolute necessity in gaining salvation.

Thanksgiving: Dear Lord, and Father in Heaven, we thank you for granting us the grace to stay on the track of obedience to you, for we are guaranteed the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ promised. Thank you, Lord, Amen.

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Published by Julius Otusorochukwu Dike, KSG

Julius Otusorochukwu Dike, KSJI, KSG, JP. Born and baptized Christian and Catholic from the eastern block of Nigeria. After confirmation, attended a Catholic post-primary school, Bishop Shanahan College, in Orlu in present-day Imo State, Nigeria. This background introduced and imbibed him with the Church teachings and practices early in life; a development that has supported and managed his overall outlook as a Christian. Educated and trained as an engineer and business manager, at two Nigerian universities; the University of Ibadan, in Mechanical Engineering [1982] and Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, in Business Administration [1999]. He served in his country‘s civil service for thirty [30] years before venturing into social service support for the vulnerable in society. He is a devout member of the Catholic Church Order of the Knights of St. John International, through which he has continued to serve the Church, and currently serving as a member of the Pastoral Council team at Holy Family Catholic Cathedral, Sokoto, in the Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria. I am a Christian motivational and reflection writer; and in 2006 published a book titled: “TERMS CATHOLICS USE INSIDE THE CHURCH”, the book is helping local parishioners to understand the Church better. He Papal Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great [KSG]. His interest in OXYGEN came in 2015 through an online search for knowledge on Catholic websites, since then he has been a dedicated reader of OXYGEN articles and reflections; these materials have continued to stimulate and enliven his life and the lives of many Christians sharing them. He is one of the regular contributors to Oxygen Daily Reflections.

Easter

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