At every Mass, we say to one another, “Peace be with you.”
But what do those words really mean? A
look at this week’s Gospel offers a bit of an answer.
When Jesus appears, both to the disciples and to Thomas, the
first words out of his mouth are, Peace
be with you. On one level, his peace
is the traditional Hebrew salutation, Shalom,
a wish for the welfare of the recipient, for good health in mind and body. In the context of the Resurrection, though, Jesus’
Peace… also refers to the fullness of
salvation: Jesus is wishing that all
that God can provide, the completeness of his love and life and goodnes, be
bestowed upon the disciples. And then he
breathes the Spirit on them, completing that peace by this life-giving
gesture. We see in our reading from Acts
how alone the apostles have felt: None of the others dared join them… And we know they are fearful, because the doors were locked. But their fear and isolation is no barrier to
Jesus, whose death and resurrection allows him to move beyond their barriers
and reach them at their core.
This sentiment is echoed in our reading from Revelation,
when one like a son of man, wearing an
ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest, speaks to John. The robe is a sign of priesthood; the sash
connotes kingship. This son of man is Jesus himself, and his
first words to John are, Do not be
afraid. He appears in the midst of
the seven lampstands, which represent
seven churches of Asia Minor, churches that have known distress and difficulty,
pain and suffering. But Jesus walks among them, is with them, uniting them by
his presence and encouraging them to deeper faith.
As he did among the seven churches, Jesus walks among
us. When Peter’s shadow falls upon the
sick (Acts), they are healed: the Holy Spirit
shadows them, and God is at work. Jesus
brings us peace, not only the tranquility of peace of mind, but the fullness of
salvation that conquers all barriers and allows us to let go of all of our
fears, so that we might open ourselves to the fullness of faith that Christ
offers. This is what we are wishing for each other when we reach out at
Mass and say, “Peace be with you…”
Life-giving peace and fullness of life:
a beautiful wish for all!
This reflection is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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