Peace Be With You.
How many of you have read the news over the last week? “Churches Bombed and Burned,” “Asylum Seekers Shunned At Borders,” “Black Teen Brutally Beaten By Police.” It is the days after Easter. The time when we celebrate Christ’s rising from the dead, yet these are the messages that populate our feeds. Stories of ashes and grief; of pain, suffering, and loss. These are still the stories of Lent. Like me, you may be asking where is the hope? The new life? The risen Christ we were promised?
Our answer may lie here in the Gospel according to St. John:
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
—John 20:19-23
As the petrified disciples are grieving from the loss of their Lord, like we too grieve from the loss of so many, Christ calmly enters the room and says, “Peace be with you.” I read this first “Peace be with you,” as “Do not fret. I’m still here.” I like that message. It’s a reminder of a God that never leaves us. Times may be grim, but just wait a moment, and Jesus will present himself with a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Next, he shows the disciples the scars on his hands and the mark of the spear that pierced his side. He tells us, in so little words, that he understands. Better than anyone, he understands the violence of this world and the all too frequent ugliness of its people; afterall, they killed him.
“Peace be with you,” he then says again. Although, not like the first. This second “Peace be with you,” is not as personal. It is more a “Peace GO with you,” a benediction, a challenge.
Jesus instructs, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Take this peace and relay my message to the far corners of the globe. I breathe on you all. I give you my Holy Spirit and my blessing. I charge you with bringing justice and reconciliation to this broken world. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” It is up to you now, to choose, to be my stewards of this peace.
When we ask, “Where is Christ?” I have come to realize we often ask the question into space. We ask it as if it is someone else’s problem that we are not witnessing more Christ-like behavior in our environment? Maybe an expression of our ego. I would never! Or possibly a product of our overly polarized society. It’s not us, it’s them! But wherever this kind of thinking stems from, I do not think its fruit-bearing. It can’t be! It’s words without action.
As President John F. Kennedy said in his final address to the United Nations General Assembly in 1963, “Peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. And if in this world out here, no act, no pact, no treaty, no organization can hope to preserve it without the support and the wholehearted commitment of all people.”
If there is breath in our lungs today, we must know that it is the breath of God. We are alive and therefore peace can be present. Whatever is troubling our souls, we must know that God understands. God has seen that pain and so much more. And if we want to see new life, a kind of mini-Easter every day, we have Christ’s blessing. We can make them happen.
Whether it is attending an interfaith luncheon or serving meals at a homeless shelter, simple acts of justice ministry bring about more peace than any “thoughts and prayers.” Stop asking “where is Christ?” without first asking “how has the light of Christ shown thru me today?”
My life motto and one of my favorite Mother Teresa quotes is “Peace begins with a smile.” Not with anything big or grand, but with a simple smile that originates from you, not anyone else.
Where is the Christ? Where is the peace? Where is the hope? Answer: Inside all of us. Time to let them out!
