“Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.”
As if to give the disciples one more assurance that it was he, Jesus shows the disciples his hands and side. And then he says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
God, help me understand that through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus modeled for me the way to live. Yes, there will be pain. From it, there is no escape. But in the midst of that, in the midst of the disciples who hid in fear behind locked doors, Jesus appears and says to them: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Today when things don’t go my way, or when suffering becomes an inescapable reality, let me remember the peace that Jesus gives to the disciples—not as the world gives. Rather, it is peace that Jesus speaks into existence in my heart and that he gives me the power to extend to others.