“Peace be with you.” Three times in today’s Gospel, we hear the risen Lord assure his disciples with these comforting words: “Peace be with you.” And, although this greeting of peace, “Shalom,” was a common expression among the Jewish people of his day – as it still is today – it had taken on a much deeper meaning for the followers of Jesus who had just gone through three days filled with anything but peace. It made them remember our Lord’s words of encouragement to them just a few days earlier at the Last Supper, when he said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”
In the midst of their troubled world, filled with sadness over the loss of their dear friend, Jesus, who had been cruelly crucified, and the fear they had for their own lives, the risen Lord offered them his peace. How comforting and encouraging this must have been for the disciples; how comforting it is to us today in our troubled world.
To fully appreciate the significance of these words, we must also remember how the disciples have found themselves in this room. All but John had abandoned their leader and good friend, Jesus – Peter had even denied knowing him. One of them – who was no longer in their midst – had betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Now, they cowered behind locked doors afraid that they, too, could be put to death. And then, Jesus, now risen from the dead, seeks them out. We can’t help but notice that he doesn’t wait for them to find him. No, he goes looking for them, literally passing through walls to be with them. And, when he finds them, he doesn’t rebuke them for abandoning him or denying him. Rather, in his divine mercy, he offers them his peace. What a great comfort this must have been for them.
It offers us great comfort, as well, especially on this, Divine Mercy Sunday. No matter how we may have abandoned, denied or betrayed him in our lives, Jesus, in his great mercy, offers us his peace.
And, as we pray for Pope Francis – I hope you took the time to watch his funeral Mass yesterday – we fondly recall how well he lived the message of the Gospel with a special emphasis on mercy. As Cardinal Re noted in the homily that he offered at Pope Francis’ funeral yesterday, our late Holy Father always placed the Gospel of mercy at the center, repeatedly emphasizing that God never tires of forgiving us. He always forgives, whatever the situation might be of the person who asks for forgiveness and returns to the right path.
And, it doesn’t end there. Notice what Jesus does and says next in today’s gospel passage. He breathes on them, giving them the Holy Spirit. Just as we hear God breathing the Spirit of life on humanity in the Book of Genesis, Jesus breathes the Spirit of new life on his followers; we receive that same Spirit when we are confirmed. After Jesus gives his disciples the gift of the Spirit, he commands them into action, saying, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you!” This is the same Lord whom we hear in today’s second reading encourage John, who is imprisoned on the island of Patmos because of his preaching about the risen Lord, to write down what has happened and will continue to happen. In his mercy, Jesus has overcome sin and death and given us all the promise of new life with God in heaven. It is the same Lord who sent the Holy Spirit on Pope Francis so that he could work so tirelessly to proclaim – by word and deed – God’s mercy to all, especially the marginalized and forgotten.
Let the Easter proclamation – Jesus is truly risen – be our comfort and our encouragement. It is in him – he who has overcome sin and death – that we have the promise of new life, a life of true peace in the midst of the troubles and fears of this world and of eternal peace in the next. Remember that whenever you find yourself fretting over anything in your life; I assure you, it will bring you real, inner peace.
And, let us heed Jesus’ command to all his disciples: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We, who have experienced God’s love and mercy in our lives, are called to share his love and mercy with everyone we meet. Just as Jesus relied on his disciples – weak and flawed as they were – to continue his work, he relies on us – weak and flawed as we are – to continue his work today. What a comfort it is to us to know of God’s endless mercy. In gratitude, let us spread the Good News of his love right here, in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces – wherever we are! And, as we celebrate our longstanding relationship with our sister parish, St. Martin de Porres, today, let us joyfully give and receive God’s love and mercy from each other not just today but throughout the year. That’s how we, his followers, help to bring his kingdom of peace into our midst; how privileged we are to do so!