Peace be with you. John 20:19
In the entire liturgical calendar, a gospel passage appears only once every three years. On this Sunday, however, the gospel is always the same: the appearance of the Risen Christ to his apostles on Easter Sunday evening. The apostles are huddling behind locked doors out of fear, we are told. They are afraid they may be next on the list to be crucified. However, they are also feeling terrible guilt. They all swore they would never abandon Jesus in his hour of suffering. But they did anyway. Now suddenly he is standing before them, and they are expecting a shameful scolding. But instead, his first words are, “Peace be with you!” At that moment, those troubled men knew, deep in their hearts, that they were forgiven. Moreover, Jesus entrusts them with a mission: to proclaim divine peace, mercy and forgiveness to everyone on earth. The Church sees this scene as the origin of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Fr. Martin Pable, O.F.M. Cap.
Originally published April 12, 2015
