Peace, Trouble, and Courage

Gospel Reflection of H.E., Most Rev. Charles John Brown, D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines

May 18, 2026 | Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter | John 16:29-33

Barangay Simbayanan | DZRV 846 (Radyo Veritas)

We have this beautiful line that Jesus finishes with, in the Gospel this morning, “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have overcome the world” or “I have conquered the world.”

Photos by DZRV 846 (Radyo Veritas)

So, these three words: peace, trouble, and courage. Of course, Jesus says, “You will have peace in me. In the world, you will have trouble, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” “I have conquered the world.”

Peace

So, the peace that Jesus is talking about…and of course we all want world peace. We pray for peace. As I said earlier, I was delighted to go to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Quezon City, and receive all these folded paper cranes of the children as an initiative to promote peace in the world, in solidarity with Pope Leo XIV.

So, we want peace in the world, but the peace that Jesus is giving us is peace in Him, which is kind of an interior peace, the peace that comes from faith in Jesus, in feeling and knowing His presence close to us, and knowing that in the world we will have trouble.

Trouble

There were always going to be difficulties in the world. The world is not perfectible. We can minimize difficulties, we can minimize conflicts, but we can't completely eliminate them because of the effects of original sin, human weakness, human rivalry. That's always going to be something that is a problem, but we can find perfect peace in the Lord, that if we have faith in Him.

If we practice our faith, if we receive the sacraments, if we pray, if we believe and live according to the gospel, even though we're perhaps living in a situation of discord and difficulty, and even in a situation, even of war, we can have an interior piece that comes from Him, which comes from our Lord. That's why He says “take courage.”

Courage

Courage is a beautiful word, too. Courage comes from the French word for the heart. “Cuore” in Italian, “cœur” in French.

Jesus telling us, “Take heart!”, “My heart,” the Sacred Heart of Jesus, “is close to you and close to your heart; and if you follow me, if you put your trust in me, my strength will flow into your heart, and you will have courage in the face of difficulties and problems. The Lord will never abandon us. He's always with us. He's always leading us forward.

So, even if we're living in the midst of difficulties and trials—maybe not a situation of war, but maybe financial trials in our family, maybe academic trials for those of us who are students, who are struggling in our studies—remember, the Lord is with you.

Take courage! He will never abandon you, but find your peace in Him. Be faithful to Him, because He will always be faithful to you.

So, God bless each and every one of you.

Prayer

We ask all the angels in heaven, especially the guardian angels of all of you who are listening at this moment, to protect you, to watch over you. All the saints to intercede for you: Saint Joseph, to be a father to you, and Our Lady, Mama Mary, to be a tender and protective mother to each and every one of you. May almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Transcribed by Joel V. Ocampo