Jn 20: 19.31
Dear Friends in Christ, In the long journey of three years with Jesus, the apostles had all kinds of startling experiences. Yet, nothing prepared them for the final seventy two hours that found them locked in the room “for fear of the Jews.” (Jn 20:19)
No one was on the roller-coaster of emotions more than Peter. “You will never wash my feet.” “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and face as well.” (Jn 13:8-9) “I will lay down my life for you.” (Jn13:37) “Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, “You are not one of this man’s disciples are you?” Peter said, “I am not.” (Jn 18:17) “He went out and he began to weep bitterly.” (Mt 26:75)
For Peter and the other disciples, it was a short tumble from total arrogance to total devastation. They who were longing for the gift of power and wealth, prestige and privilege. Now they were engulfed in shattered dreams and wrapped up in fear and hopelessness. Slowly they realized the events of the weekend not only exposed them as losers for wasting three years of their life chasing an illusion but they actually were in danger of doing time in prison, and maybe even losing their lives.
Crisis management did not give them much time to let the depth of their loss sink in. Likewise, they were unable to see with any clarity the extent of their personal cowardice in their flight and rejection after three years of intimacy at the feet of Jesus. Self-knowledge does take a long time!
Then in the midst of the pain, the fear, the loss and utter confusion they see Him and hear, “Peace be with you.” Jn 20:19.
They had a lot of experience with the upside down world of Jesus. However, nothing made them ready for this. In an instant, defeat and failure are now victory and triumph. Darkness is now light. Abandonment opens to embrace. Sin and denial are washed away in love, mercy and healing. Indeed, “Peace be with you.”
No wonder the Church invites us to ponder and pray about this awesome mystery of the Resurrection for the next seven weeks. There is a lot to take in.
If we are willing to dig deep enough, we gradually will see the story of our lives in the vulnerability of the disciples. We will see that we, like the disciples in the locked room, are being called out of the dominance and control of our fear and anxieties. We are being offered the most magnificent of all gifts in hope. We have before us the brilliant display of the mercy of God, “Whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven them”. (Jn 20:23)
The readings of this Second Sunday of Easter proclaim the presence of the risen Lord in the midst of the reign of fear, skepticism and apprehension. In this Easter feast Jesus comes to us with peace and healing. He offers us courage and unspeakable joy.
Like the disciples, we are loved in our brokenness. We are accepted in our weakness and sinfulness. Slowly we will get a glimmer of the love Jesus has for us. It is without limit or condition. It is a treasure we can hardly grasp. Whether we grasp it or not, the goal of our spiritual journey in life is to let the power and beauty of this love transform us into a new creation just as it did for the disciples. This is the day we so fittingly celebrate the mercy of God.
Indeed, Christ is risen! Alleluia! When we bring this Mystery into this deepest reality of our lives, nothing will ever be the same again. The wonder of God’s love is always there. We are invited to enter this love through our Easter celebration. We need to let the Alleluia bring us into the depth of God’s love, the true experience of Easter.
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