Peace be with you!


 peace be with you innercomm.net - InnerComm Group
In the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
There was a lot of fear. We can certainly understand that, especially now. For quite some time the Jews had been trying to get rid of Jesus, and finally they were successful. So, every follower of Jesus was fearful that it might also happen to them. The disciples were together hiding, still grieving the sudden loss of their leader, their close friend of 3 years. John recount the story for us. It was in the evening and the doors were locked. There, Jesus came in their midst and said: “Peace be with You” Jesus always know how important is our disposition. Are you feeling fearful? Bored? Thankful? Guilty? Bewildered by things happening? Jesus is interested to meet you where you are at and take you on a journey with him. Jesus knew His disciples were afraid, so his first words to them were: Peace be with You! He wanted the deep peace of God to be created/to materialize within them by faith through his word; He wanted to stabilize what was shaken in them. Jesus wanted to affirm their standing before God Almighty, not because they deserved it, but because God simply loved them. Peace be within You! We need this Shalom, peace from God at a time like this, where we are on an unknown journey. Jesus also breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. The Ruach, The Spirit of the Lord, to strengthen them in their new given Mission. So, knowing that they would struggle to believe, Jesus opened his hands and his side, so His disciples can see for themselves, that it was really him. It must have been a shock for them, to behold with their own eyes the paschal mystery that brought us a new covenant of Peace and Reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ His Son and brought us forgiveness of our sins. Jesus has come to meet us!
Today’s reading in the book of Acts show us the first workings of this New Covenant. After meeting with Jesus resurrected, Peter stood up courageously and addressed the Jews and all inhabitants of Jerusalem. He was no longer afraid to declare it with a loud voice: “This Jesus that you crucified, God raised him up and all of us are witnesses! Like Peter who denied our Lord 3 times, we are also strugglers in this life, but in this new covenant, by faith in Jesus, nothing is impossible with God. With the Spirit of the Lord, Peter and other disciples had changed by the way they lived their lives. (Faith, courage hope…God was with them)
They understood that the story of Jesus resurrection was much bigger than themselves, much bigger than anything a human had ever encountered before. So, fear didn’t dictate their reaction. They were whom God had meant them to be. (How I wish to be there!)
So, it is possible to live our lives by faith in God and not by sight! Picture this: Jesus had mysteriously defeated death showing God’s power of redemption and healing. This ushered in a new Covenant with God, where believers receive this power of the Holy Spirit so they can live lives of faith, empowered! Lives congruent with our faith! Lives that are genuine and authentic. The story of Thomas the disciple brings up this same question of faith! I have always thought that his question was a question of doubt. No, think about it. It was a question of faith: Thomas was honest with God! He said: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” That’s Thomas! He wanted proof! There’s nothing wrong with that. He wasn’t there when Jesus came in while all doors were locked. So, Jesus came back the following week while Thomas was present. Jesus met Thomas where he was: He simply showed his hands and his side. Do you now believe Thomas? Thomas said in amazement: “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus knows the state we are in, doubtful/without faith? Fearful? Jesus is willing to walk with you! to give you time to be! be until we get to that point of realization that we need to believe. Jesus wants to meet us where we are. And finally, to invite us into this New Covenant by faith. Even if our lives are broken, God can still use broken vessels, you can still live into this New Covenant and live a life consistent with the faith you have inherited.
Peace be with you!
Amen.

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