The opening words of today's Gospel reading are both a challenge and an assurance: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God, have faith in me". Later, on the 24th of this month, we will hear these words echoed at the end of Chapter 16: "Have courage. I have overcome the world". A world without much hope needs to hear these consoling words. Though they are recorded as spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper, they derive their full meaning and strength from the resurrection.

These words are an echo of God's often-repeated call: "Do not be afraid!" When God calls upon us not to be afraid, he always adds a reason showing why we should not be afraid. Similarly, Jesus calls us to peace and courage and hints at the motivation of such peace and courage.

We are called to peace: "Do not let your hearts be troubled". This is not merely any kind of peace. It is not merely psychological peace, not sociological peace, nor political peace. It is precisely the peace that derives from faith, faith in Jesus, faith in God. It is this faith which allows us to share Jesus' victory over the world and all its evils.