Acts 5:12-16; Ap 1:9-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31
After the death of Jesus, for fear of the Jews the Apostles confined
themselves to a closed room. They received the news of the resurrection of
Jesus from many sources. He was seen by the women who visited the
tomb. Peter saw the empty tomb. He appeared to the apostles themselves.
But these testimonies did not give them enough courage to come out and proclaim the reality of resurrection. They remained behind the closed doors. Again Jesus appeared to them and greeted them, “Peace be with you.”
“Peace” is the first word that came from the lips of Jesus on
meeting his Apostles. “Peace be with you. (Jn 20:19). Then Jesus
gave them the power to forgive sins. Jesus knew man’s weakness and
the havoc sin causes in man’s heart. It destroys the peace and joy of
every man.
One of the famous tragedies of William Shakespeare is
Macbeth. When Macbeth was returning after a victory, he was met
by three witches. The first witch greeted him, “Thane of Glamis”.
The second witch greeted him “Thane of Cawdor”, and the third witch greeted
him, “King hereafter”. As they disappeared messengers reached with the good
news that he was appointed as the Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth
went home and shared this strange experience with his wife. She enkindled
his hopes, and persuaded him to Murder Duncan, the king, who came to his house
as his guest. As Macbeth thrust the dagger into the heart of Duncan he heard
a voice, “Macbeth Sleep no more.” And “Macbeth has murdered sleep.”
Thereafter Macbeth never had peace in his life. His life became
miserable. In his frantic attempt to get peace he committed murder again and
again.
When Macbeth sinned against the king he lost his peace. Jesus was aware
that sins destroy the peace of man. So when he wished them “peace” he
also granted them the power to destroy sin. To destroy a powerful
enemy we need a powerful weapon. Jesus put this weapon in the hands of the
church when communicating to his Apostles the power to forgive sins
through the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Jesus said to the apostles
“Those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven:
Those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.”
Jesus knew well that the disobedience of man, the excessive desire of
man for wealth, the selfishness of man, the hatred that brews up in the heart
of man, causes separation from God. And this separation destroys the peace of
man. Isaiah warned the Israelites, “Your iniquities have separated
you from your God.”(Is 59:2) And this separation from God is unbearable.
David, the chosen king of Israel, experienced it when he broke the
command of the Lord and he Lamented, “Do not withhold your tender mercies
from me, O Lord” (Ps 40:1). God commanded Adam and Eve, “Do not eat the fruit
of this tree.” But when they disobeyed him they were estranged from God and
they wanted to hide. This separation was miserable. And they lost their
peace.
As sin destroys internal peace Jesus strictly commanded his
disciples to love their enemies, and to return good for evil (Mt 5:44).
Jesus ratified his teaching with his own example as he hung on the cross.
He prayed, “Father forgive them” (Lk 23:24).
The estrangement that happened because of sin is bridged by Jesus (Eph
2:14) and Jesus gave the power to his Apostles to forgive sins and
re-establish peace. St Paul wrote to the Romans affirming this message that God
has called us to peace. God expects us to keep His commandment, and in return
He gives us his peace. Proverbs tells us “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He
makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Prov.16:7)
For peace and joy to prevail in the Christian community, unity should be
maintained. That is the message of the First Reading taken from the Acts of the
Apostles. The Apostles taught the early Christians that three things are
necessary to foster unity.
So they gathered regularly in the Portico of Solomon. The early
Christians came together regularly under the leadership of the apostles. And
today we should gather in the church, the house of God regularly. And this
communion will certainly give us power and strength to remain united,
forgetting all the differences.
Secondly, they listened to the teaching of the Apostles. We,
too, must listen to the word of God and reflect over it. It will give
us courage to fight our ego.
When the early Christians remained united under the leadership of
the Apostles they worked wonders. The sick were even taken out into the
streets and laid on beds and sleeping mats, in the hope that at
least the shadow of Peter might fall across.
Today the risen Lord stands in our midst and greets us too, “Peace be
with You.” Let’s translate this message into action and pass on to our brothers
and sisters. When you take initiative in patching up an estranged relationship
with your friend, when you forgive a dishonest act of your friend, when
you show kindness to someone, when you appease the anger of your friend,
when you find time to re-establish a broken relationship, when you
persuade someone to give up some evil habits you are giving the
message, “Peace be with you”. And the peace that you radiate will come
back to you manifold.
Satish