Merciful Peace
“Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’
Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’”John 20:26-27
Do you believe? On the Second Sunday of Easter, the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday, highlighting and reminding us of the boundless and vast mercy with which the Lord embraces us. When we hear of “divine mercy” the image of the red and white/blue rays coming forth from the side of Jesus. On the cross, when the centurion pierced Our Lord we are told that blood and water gushed forth, giving birth to the Church — the waters of baptism and the blood that nourishes us in the Eucharist. That is how much God loves us. “He loved his own to the very end” (John 13:1). Today we meditate on this love and give thanks for such a gift.
Our world is in turmoil. War and violence seems to be the new normal, but that can’t be, brothers and sisters. Hatred and violence cannot be the new normal, and Our Lord reminds us of that today. His love is what sustains us, and it is His mercy that strengthens us. After His Resurrection, Our Lord went to the Apostles in the Upper Room. The first words that Jesus speaks to them is “Peace be with you.” Not why did you leave me, abandon me, betray me, deny me, but — peace be with you. One of the fruit of one’s relationship with God is peace. A peace that surpasses all human words and understanding, a peace that speaks to the heart and that ripples into our daily lives. The Lord says to you today, “Peace be with you.”
But we are human and the worries of this world cause us to lose sight of this peace, maybe sometimes even doubt it. We are told that the Lord stood in the midst of the Apostles even though the doors were locked. There is no barrier that Our Lord cannot and will not overcome to reach us if we call for Him. Our Lord descended into hell to free the souls of the just and brought them into heaven. There is NO length or depth that Our Lord will not go to reach us and to bring us His peace and mercy. So, what are the things that trouble us today? The Lord says to us, “I know you, and I know your heart is troubled, but here I am. Peace be with you.” He breathes on us and reminds us that He sustains us and walks with us. Let us not be unbelieving but believe. He comes to us and He stays with us in His peace and His mercy.
May we pray today, brothers and sisters, that we might not keep the doors to our hearts locked and that we might allow the love and peace and mercy the Lord died to give to us to pour out upon us and envelop us. May His merciful peace shower down upon our world today and move the hearts of those charged with the governance of peoples that they might seek first and always the common good, the peace that prevails.
Jesus, we believe that Your are the Lord, the Prince of Peace. Grant us the grace to allow Your love and mercy to move our hearts to peace, so that all might come to know You.
Jesus, I trust in You!
