Just A Thought Or Two . . .
“Peace Be With You” Isn’t Just a Greeting
The last days of Jesus Christ on this earth aren’t easy to understand or explain. Sometimes it is hard to wrap our minds around the Resurrection and live in an Easter state of mind. We just don’t get it. How do we get out of the worry rut and get on the fast track to freedom, hope, and peaceful days?
When will we understand that the work has been done – the wood of the cross was the tree of life? We no longer must be nailed to the cross of fear, selfishness, and greed. Death is not what we’re going to. Death is what we are growing from. Sometimes news is just too good to be true. It is easy to let the doubts creep into our minds.
On Sunday we hear about the evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead. The disciples had locked the doors of the house because they were afraid of the authorities. Suddenly, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
Excuse me? Were these the same disciples who argued with each other at the Last Supper, who fell asleep in the garden, who deserted Jesus during His final hours? Yes, the very ones. Yet, Jesus offered them peace, not recrimination. Jesus showed them His hands and His side. Then Jesus offered them peace once again.
Unfortunately, Thomas was not with them when Jesus appeared. After hearing news of the visit, Thomas wasn’t convinced. Thomas needed personal proof. A week later, the disciples had gathered in the house again, and Jesus came in and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then Jesus directed Thomas, “Take your finger and examine My hands. Put your hand into My side. Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe.”
Jesus accepts our human condition. Jesus didn’t call perfect people to be His apostles. Jesus patiently pushes us to new behaviors – not out of fear – but out of love.
Willa Cather writes, “Where there is great love, there are always miracles. Miracles rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming to us from afar off, but on our own perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is about us always.”
Our springtime world speaks of miracles. We can’t stop at the 14th Station of the Cross. We can’t live out of a Good Friday mentality. The stone has been taken away. Jesus Christ lives! The love of God surrounds us. We must slow down, seek the truth, and embrace the grace of the moment.
Expecting and accepting miracles are part of our Easter destiny. “Peace be with you” isn’t only a greeting but speaks to the promise of a Savior who is daily present in our lives. Springtime days give us the energy and hope needed to see new possibilities. Moment-by-moment the world is transformed by the eternal promise of Jesus Christ.
Please come and pray with us: April 27, grades 1 and 4 will host the 10:30 Sunday liturgy.