Gospel (Jn 14,27-31a) - At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. Not as the world gives it, I give it to you. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. You heard that I said to you: “I am going and will return to you”. If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than me. I have told you now, before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will not speak with you any longer, because the prince of the world is coming; he can do nothing against me, but the world must know that I love the Father, and as the Father has commanded me, so I act."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

This evangelical passage opens with the delivery of peace to the disciples: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you". Jesus understands well that separation from him, after three years of intense friendship, is difficult and painful for those disciples. He has already promised him the gift of the Spirit: "he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you". And now he gives them his peace, the messianic one that gathers every blessing of God. It is not just any peace, but the one that he himself experiences and that is born from trust with the Father, from the certainty of not being alone, from the trust of not seeing never lack the support and consolation of God. It is a legacy that only the disciples have and which they must bear witness to the world. He therefore exhorts them not to be afraid, not to be troubled. He repeats the words that he has already said to them: “I go and will return to you”. And he adds that they should even be happy that he is going to the Father. They seem like words that are difficult to understand. How can you be happy knowing that your dearest friend, the one who saved you from a meaningless life, is leaving? In truth, Jesus wants to prepare them for the ministry of his Easter and his ascension into heaven. In fact, staying at the "right hand of the Father" does not mean distancing yourself from them and from the world; indeed, the Lord will remain closer to them, wherever they are, and he will never leave anyone alone. The disciples will disperse along the streets of the world to communicate the Gospel, but he will accompany them everywhere, supporting them with his own strength. Of course, the Prince of evil, the devil, works to break the bond of love between Jesus and his followers. However, the death of Jesus, although it is the work of evil, is above all the choice of the Son who out of love gives his life for the salvation of all. Jesus' physical departure is therefore not the result of a betrayal, like those we are used to. How many bonds are broken, how many separations occur between men! The "departure" of Jesus towards the Father is the sign of a greater love, that of the Son towards the Father in heaven: "The world must know that I love the Father, and as the Father has commanded me, so I act ”. It is on the path of this obedience to God that the disciples discover the perpetuity of love.