“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

“Peace at all times” – is what Paul praying for the Church of Thessalonica and us reading these words today possible? It actually is. When we are connected to the source of this peace. When are separated, no.

St. Peter walked on the water when he held the gaze of Jesus with his. Once he took his eyes of Jesus and looked to the storm, then he began to sink. When he then called out to Jesus, Jesus’ hand was there to lift him up. But for that moment, Peter walked on the water. For brief moments, we may not have experienced walking on water, but hopefully, we have been able to experience some of the peace of the Lord that Paul wants to impart upon us.

To move toward always experiencing our Father’s peace, that means we need to be in God’s presence at all times. The good news is that God has been, is, and will always be with us. He is the ground of our very being. He is not in competition with us but is the source of our very being. The more of his presence and love that we receive, we become more of who he is calling us to be.

We actually can see God and experience his peace in all things because he is the ground of everything that exists. Even evil? Yes, because evil is not a thing. Evil is a deprivation of the good, like a cavity that corrupts the good of the tooth. The key is resisting all the diversions, distractions, and temptations that pull our attention away from keeping our focus on God first and foremost and growing in our relationship with him.

Even when we are going through challenges or difficulties, we can experience peace when we seek Jesus in the midst of the storm and keep our eyes on him. As we do so, even if the healing does not come, the trial does not cease, or the situation does not correct itself instantly, we can trust that Jesus is with us and will see us through. In placing our trust in Jesus no matter what, in continuing to turn to him, there lies the source of our peace and our strength to endure.

This is a peace that surpasses all understanding because God’s grace builds on our nature. He meets us where we are and lifts us up beyond anything we can imagine possible. In trusting in God, stress will still arise, we will still be concerned, but the key is that we don’t add onto it by continuing to churn over in our minds worst case scenarios that may or may not even happen.

For this moment, let us take a few breaths, place our trust and focus on Jesus, and build from there. Peace and all God’s good be with you this day!

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Photo: Rosary walk view from Veteran’s Memorial Island, Vero Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, August 27, 2024