Moments with the Gospel Series: Gospel of John 14 and understanding the word bequeath.

 Moments with the Gospel Series

Moments with the Gospel Icon.

Today’s Gospel is from John 14: 27-31.  As I was meditating on this Gospel, the word bequeath took my attention.  What is bequeath I wondered?

“Peace, I bequeath you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

The word “bequeath” — is sometimes used in older or more formal translations in place of “leave.” The Greek verb here is ἀφίημι (aphiēmi), which means to send away, leave, release, or let go. In this context, it conveys "leaving behind" as a legacy or inheritance, which is why “bequeath” fits so beautifully.

Teasing out bequeath:

• Legal and Lasting: “Bequeath” is a term often used in a will. It suggests that Jesus is intentionally leaving something behind for His disciples — not accidentally, but as a deliberate gift in view of His departure. His peace is part of their inheritance as His followers.
• Irrevocable: What is bequeathed is not taken back. It becomes the possession of the recipient. So, Christ’s peace isn't momentary — it remains with them, even after He ascends.
• Personal and Intimate: Unlike the world’s transient or conditional peace (which can be broken or disturbed), Christ’s peace is relational — grounded in His union with the Father and extended to His followers.
• A Peace Unlike the World’s: Jesus contrasts His gift with the way the world gives — often selectively, manipulatively, or temporarily. His bequeathed peace is eternal, sustaining, and rooted in divine love.

 

Then I wondered: What does it mean that Jesus bequeaths me His peace — not just for a moment of comfort, but as an enduring inheritance? At every Mass, just before Communion, we hear words that echo John 14:27 directly:

“Peace I leave you, my peace I give you…”

This is spoken by the priest in the Rite of Peace, right after the Lord’s Prayer and before the Lamb of God:

“Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church…”

This moment is not just a remembrance of something Jesus once said — it’s a present and active bequeathing. In the context of the liturgy, Christ Himself is bestowing His peace anew — not symbolically, but sacramentally, as part of His gift of Himself in the Eucharist.

So yes, every day at Mass:

• The bequeathing of peace is re-presented.
• The words of John 14:27 are liturgically embodied.
• This peace is not just a polite greeting — it's a preparation for communion with Christ, as He comes to dwell in us.

 

Liturgical Contingency

This means His peace is:

• Tied to the mystery of His Passion (which He was about to undergo when He first spoke those words),
• Given in the context of His self-offering (the Eucharist),
• Meant to dwell in us, transforming us into peacemakers and bearers of His legacy.

Jesus offers us His peace — not as possession, but as participation. At the Sign of Peace, we do not just exchange a gesture, rather we pass on what we have received, sacrificing self to extend His peace to the very people He died to reconcile.

It is Eucharistic: It is

·         peace broken and shared,

·         offered in love,

·         not held for self.

That moment of the Sign of Peace can seem so small, even routine.

However, when seen through the lens of John 14:27 and the Eucharist,

it becomes a sacred relay of grace. Christ bequeaths His peace, and we become the stewards who carry it outward ,not just in words, but in lives offered for others.

After the Resurrection, Jesus greets His disciples with:

“Peace be with you.”

This is not just a gentle hello, rather it is  a continuation and confirmation of what He bequeathed in John 14:27.Now, risen and victorious, He seals that gift.

Consider these moments:

• John 20:19: “Peace be with you” — as He shows them His wounds.
• John 20:21: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
• John 20:26 (eight days later to Thomas and the others): again, “Peace be with you.”

Each time, it is not just comfort. It is mission, identity, and assurance.

He speaks peace into:

• Their fear behind locked doors.
• Their guilt for abandoning Him.
• Their confusion about what comes next.

His peace becomes resurrection-shaped — not avoidance of suffering, but the victory through it. It is the same peace He gave in John 14…but now glorified, and entrusted to His Church.

How does this Peace disappear?

Jesus gives His peace — a peace the world cannot give and cannot take away.

And yet… we do feel it slip through our fingers sometimes. People, wounds, misunderstandings, daily irritations — they seem to disrupt or “steal” that peace.

So what’s going on? Theologically and spiritually:

The peace Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble — it’s His presence in the midst of it.  We are human.  Our hearts are still learning to rest in Him, still growing in trust. So our experience of that peace can falter — even if the gift itself has not been withdrawn.

Why it feels disrupted:

1. Our attention shifts — from Christ to circumstance.
2. We try to control outcomes rather than surrendering to God’s providence.
3. We absorb other people’s turmoil rather than remaining rooted in Christ’s stillness.
4. We forget we are vessels, not sources — peace flows through us, not from us.

So how do we protect this peace — so we can infuse it at the Sign of Peace?

Here are some ways that echo the spiritual wisdom of saints and scripture:

 

1. Guard your inner chapel

“Let not your hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:27)

This is Jesus telling us we can choose not to let it in. It takes spiritual training, yes, but there is a core within — a still point — where Christ dwells. Return to it often. Make it a habit: small pauses in the day to breathe, remember His presence, and re-anchor.

2. Stay close to the Giver, not just the gift

Peace is not a thing — it’s Christ Himself.

The more we cultivate closeness to Him — through the Word, through silence, through adoration — the more this peace becomes a climate within, not a weather report outside.

3. Practice the Sign of Peace before Mass

What would it look like to prepare to share peace by actively forgiving before we even walk in?

Think of people or moments that have unsettled us — and consciously, interiorly say:

“I forgive you. I hand you over to Christ.”

“I choose peace because He gave it to me.”

This clears the way to share a genuine peace during the liturgy, not just a gesture.

 

4. Let peace be your response, not your reward

If we only feel peace when others treat us well, we’ll always be at their mercy.

But if peace becomes our response, our gift, our offering — even when it costs — it becomes sacrificial, like Christ’s peace. It becomes Eucharistic.

How do I carry the peace I’ve been given so that I can share it, not lose it?

We are to stay rooted in the Giver — and when it feels lost, return again. That is discipleship.

So my meditation on the word bequeath took me on an interesting journey.  Yes. All in one word: bequeath.

Not just “give” — but entrust.

Not just “offer” — but make you a steward.

A lasting gift, given with love,

to hold, to guard, to live from, and to pass on.

All the mystery of Christ’s peace,

all the cost of the Cross,

all the strength of the Resurrection —

bequeathed to you.

Not earned. Not borrowed.

Yours.

By His will, sealed in love.