"DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED" | FRIDAY REFLECTION | WEEK 4 OF EASTER | AUI CHAPLAINCY

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]Dear brothers and sisters, happy new months to you all and happy holidays to all workers as we celebrate the May Day and St. Joseph the Worker. Today's gospel begins with one of the most comforting and powerful statements ever spoken by Jesus and it's a good way to start the new uh the new month. Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." These words are comforting.

[00:00:28]However, notice that they were spoken not in a moment of peace and comfort, but in the shadow of suffering. Jesus is about to enter his passion. Betrayal is near.

[00:00:38]>> [music] >> The cross is approaching. The disciples are confused, afraid, and uncertain about the future. And yet, in the middle of all these, Jesus speaks calmly, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." This makes us ask an important question. What manner of calmness is this and where does it come from? [music] Naturally, the world is filled with trouble. Human life is marked with uncertainty, suffering, disappointment, [music] sickness, fear, death, and so on and so forth.

[00:01:06]Every generation faces its own struggles. Even in our own lives, there are burdens we carry silently like family [music] problems, financial difficulties, fears about the future, emotional wounds, disappointments, spiritual struggles, and the list goes on. The heart can easily become [music] troubled.

[00:01:29]So, how can Jesus speak with such calmness [music] and peace in the midst of all this? It is not because he's pretending that suffering does not exist. Jesus is not denying the reality of pain. He knows exactly what was coming. He knows about the cross, the nails, the rejection, the suffering, all that are coming ahead. Yet, he remains peaceful. Why? Because he sees beyond the suffering. He knows the Father. He [music] knows that death will have not the final word. He He wants his disciples to share in that same confidence. So, Jesus is teaching us that peace does not come from the absence of problems. True peace comes from knowing who he is. And this is why later on in the gospel today, Jesus declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Notice that Jesus does not say, "I will show you a way."

[00:02:26]Or I will teach you [music] some truths.

[00:02:28]Or I will give you a better life. "I am." Jesus himself is the way. He himself is the truth. He himself is the life. And this message becomes clearer when we look at the first reading of today from the Acts of the Apostles.

[00:02:43]Paul stands before the people and proclaims the story of salvation. He reminds them of God's promises to Israel, promises that generations had waited for. The people had heard the prophecies. They longed for the Messiah.

[00:02:57]They expected God to act. But when God finally acted, many failed to recognize him. So, Jesus came not as a powerful athletic king, but as the suffering servant foretold by the prophets. He was rejected, condemned, and crucified. To the human eyes, it looked like failure.

[00:03:16]It looked as though evil had won. But Paul boldly proclaims that the cross was not the defeat of God's plan. In fact, it was the fulfillment. What human beings intended for evil, God transformed into salvation. And then, Paul announces that the heart of the Christian faith is the resurrection. He says, "But God raised him from the dead." And this [music] changes everything. The resurrection of Jesus reveals that suffering is not the end of the story. Death is not the final word. God can bring life even out of the darkest moment. And this is why Jesus can say, "Do not let your hearts be [music] troubled."

[00:03:53]Uh He speaks not from denial, but from victory. So, the gospel is not a promise that Christians will never suffer.

[00:04:00]Rather, it is the promise that God walks through suffering and leads us [music] beyond it. Uh the cross becomes the road to the resurrection. Even in death, Christ opens the door to life. And this is why he calls himself the way. In life, we often feel lost. We face [music] decisions, confusion, temptations, and uncertainty. Many people today are searching for meaning. Some search in wealth, others in pleasure, power, success, or fame. Yet, despite all of these, many still feel empty. [music] It is like traveling through unknown territory without a map, without direction. We become lost. Jesus says, "I am the way." He does not merely give directions. He walks with us. He His own life becomes [music] the path we must follow. He teaches us how to live, how to love, how to forgive, how to suffer, and how to [music] trust the Father. And this is why Christianity is simply uh imitation of Jesus, imitation of Christ.

[00:05:00][music] So, to follow Christ means to walk in the same path he walked, the path of humility, obedience, sacrifice, mercy, and love. He himself says, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Luke chapter 9 verse 23. So, the way of Christ is not always easy, but it always leads to life. Jesus is also the truth. We live in a world filled with many voices and many opinions. [music] Every day, people tell us different ideas about happiness, success, morality, [music] identity, and the purpose of life.

[00:05:36]Through social media, entertainment, [music] politics, and culture, we are constantly surrounded by competing >> [music] >> truths and messages. Sometimes it becomes difficult to know what is true.

[00:05:47]Human opinions change with time. What one generation praises, another generation rejects. Ideas come and go like fashion. But truth itself does not change. Jesus says, "I am the truth."

[00:06:02]This means that the truth is not simply a concept. The truth is a person.

[00:06:06]>> [music] >> Uh In Christ, we see the fullness of God revealed. He shows us who God is and who we are meant to become.

[00:06:14]>> [music] >> So, in Jesus, we discover the truth about love because he loves completely.

[00:06:19]We discover the truth about forgiveness because he forgives even [music] from the cross. We discover the truth about human dignity because he gives his life for sinners. We discover the truth about God because whoever has seen me >> [music] >> has seen the Father. John chapter 14 verse 9. So, this truth remains steady even when the world changes. And finally, Jesus says, "I am the life."

[00:06:42]Every human being desires life. We desire happiness, fulfillment, peace, and joy. Yet, many things in this world disappoint us. Wealth can disappear.

[00:06:51]Health can fail. Relationships can break. Success [music] can leave us empty. But Jesus offers something deeper than temporary satisfaction. He offers divine life. The life Jesus gives is not only biological life. It is not merely emotional or material well-being.

[00:07:09]>> [music] >> It is a participation in the very life of God. It is eternal life. And this is why [music] St. John says in John chapter 1 verse 4, "In him was life, and the life was light of men." So, through Christ, we are invited into communion with the Trinity. Through baptism, we begin to share in God's own life.

[00:07:30]Through the Eucharist, this life is nourished. Through prayer and grace, it grows within us until it reaches its fullness [music] in eternity. This is the life that death cannot destroy. And so, the words of Jesus become a true source of comfort in every stage of of life. When we are confused, he is the way. When we are uncertain, he is the truth. When we are spiritually weak, he is the [music] life. In the morning of life, when we are young and searching for direction, he is the way. In the noon time of day, [music] when responsibilities and burdens weigh upon us, he is the truth that keeps us steady. In the evening of life, when we face suffering, weakness, and even death, >> [music] >> he remains the life that leads us into eternity. Happy new month once again.

[00:08:18]Uh happy holiday to all the workers.

[00:08:22]May God bless the work of your hands and may you reap the fruits of your labor through Christ our Lord. Amen. May the Lord bless his word in [music] our hearts in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.