💖 HOMILY - JUNE 2 💖

First Reading - Acts 19:1-8

Gospel - John 16:29-33

We all long for peace. Yet so often, what we experience instead is trouble, anxiety, and fear. The readings of today speak directly into this tension in our lives and offer us the source of lasting peace—our faith in Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus speaks with remarkable tenderness and honesty to His disciples. They finally express some understanding of who He is, but Jesus gently challenges their premature confidence. He warns them that the hour is coming when they will be scattered, each going his own way, leaving Him alone. Still, He is not alone—for the Father is with Him. Then He says something deeply consoling: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

These words are not abstract theology. They are a promise forged in the reality of suffering. Jesus knows that the disciples will face fear, confusion, even persecution. Yet He does not shield them from this truth. Instead, He offers them something greater—peace that comes not from circumstances, but from communion with Him. His victory over the world does not mean an escape from pain; it means that pain and suffering will not have the final word.

In the first reading, we see this peace and power at work through Paul. He encounters a group of disciples in Ephesus who have not yet received the Holy Spirit. Their faith is incomplete, lacking the transformative presence that Jesus promised. Paul lays hands on them, and the Holy Spirit comes upon them—they speak in tongues and prophesy. What a dramatic shift! These once-confused and uncertain believers are now empowered to proclaim the word boldly. Their faith is no longer just a doctrine—they are now alive in the Spirit.

Dear friends, this is what Jesus desires for each of us: not just an intellectual grasp of who He is, but a living relationship that brings peace and courage, even in the midst of the world’s trials. Like those early disciples in Ephesus, we too are invited to open our lives fully to the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who gives us the strength to persevere when the world around us is uncertain. It is the Spirit who gives us clarity when we feel scattered or afraid. It is the Spirit who brings the peace that Jesus promises.

We live in a world that often offers only fleeting comforts and shallow peace. But Jesus offers us something real—His own victory. He does not promise a life without trouble, but He promises His presence in the midst of it. “Take courage,” He says. This is not a call to pretend everything is fine. It is a call to anchor our hope in Him who has already overcome.

So when we face difficulties, discouragement, or doubts, let us remember the promise of Jesus and the power of the Spirit. Let us not settle for a weak or incomplete faith. Let us ask daily for the Spirit to fill our hearts, to deepen our trust, and to bring us the peace that surpasses all understanding.

May we live each day with that confidence: Jesus has conquered the world, and by His Spirit, we are not alone.