As soon as the risen Jesus appears to his disciples, he said to them, “Peace be with you.” At the top of his list of priorities, that is his prayer for us as well. “Peace be with you.” For some people, that seems like an illusion. Division, rather than peace is common in many communities today unlike in the first faith community we heard about in Acts. Differences of opinion on what is right and what is wrong prevail. That can lead us to act like doubting Thomas, not so much doubting the existence of the risen Lord, but doubting what he expects of us.
The absence of peace originates with some manner of conflict, the consequence of ignoring God’s commandments. When that happens, the need for forgiveness arises and at times, that can be a rather tall order to fill, yet when we refuse to forgive, inner peace cannot be realized. Think of what goes on within you when you refuse to forgive. When you are hurt or angry due to another person’s offense, instead of saying, “Peace be with you,” to the offender, you are fuming, plotting ill will, or thinking of ways to get even. These tensions, building up within you, leave you unable to experience peace of any kind. So that peace could be experienced, Jesus breathed on the disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
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2nd Sunday of EasterRead More »