St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish
Theme:
“Jesus said to them again,
‘Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’” (John 20:21)
When we find what we are looking for, our hearts and minds are at peace. When we
receive good results from our projects, we have peace of mind and heart. When
everything goes well as we planned, our minds and hearts are filled with peace. After the
resurrection, Jesus got back to his apostles to reassure them that he is alive, and that he
sends them forth to be his messengers of peace, pardon and faith: “Jesus said to them
again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you’” (John 20:21).
After his resurrection, Jesus greeted his apostles with a message of peace because he
wanted to restore a peaceful relationship between them and himself after everything
broke down during his arrest, crucifixion and death. After his resurrection, Jesus greeted
his apostles with a message of peace because he wanted to restore a peaceful relationship
between them and his Father in heaven after everything broke down during multiple
instances of sin of humanity. After his resurrection, Jesus greeted his apostles with a
message of peace because he wanted to restore a peaceful relationship between them and
their community of disciples after everything broke down during his arrest, crucifixion
and death. After his resurrection, Jesus greeted his apostles with a message of peace
because he wanted to restore a peaceful relationship between them and their neighbors
after everything broke down during instances of sin and dispute. During this Second
Sunday of Easter, Jesus is offering is this peace inspired by his resurrection so that we
might be messengers of peace in the world.
After his resurrection, Jesus greeted his apostles with a message of peace because he
summoned them to carry that true peace everywhere in the world. As we know, there is
lack of true peace in many places in the world: lack of peace between neighbouring
communities, lack of peace in some families, lack of peace between some friends, and
even lack of peace in the heart and mind of some people. Peace is therefore an important
element of life that the resurrection of Christ enforces.
After his resurrection, Jesus greeted his apostles with a message of peace because he sent
them to encourage people to build instances of peace among them by offering pardon and
reconciliation to each other:
“It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead,
the first day of the week,
and the doors of the house where the disciples had met
were locked for fear of the Jewish authorities.
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
‘Peace be with you.’
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again,
‘Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:18-23)
Jesus accomplished the mission of his Father by suffering and dying so that God might
give true peace and complete pardon to every human person. Jesus in turn sent his
apostles to be messengers of peace and pardon of God in the world. The Second Sunday
of Easter is therefore Divine Mercy Sunday when we make every effort to receive the
pardon of God so that we might be reconciled with him as well as all those who are in our
lives.
Jesus greeted his apostles with a message of peace so that their hearts and minds will be
filled with solid faith in God. Jesus greeted his apostles with a message of peace so that
he might remove doubt from their hearts and minds:
“But Thomas, who was called the Twin, one of the twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him,
‘We have seen the Lord.’
But he said to them,
‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,
and put my finger in the mark of the nails
and my hand in his side,
I will not believe.’
A week later his disciples were again in the house,
and Thomas was with them.
Although the doors were shut,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
‘Peace be with you.’
Then he said to Thomas,
‘Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.’
Thomas answered him,
‘My Lord and my God!’
Jesus said to him,
‘Have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have come to believe.’
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book.
But these are written so that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:24-31)
The Second Sunday of Easter is also a Sunday of increase of faith even if we do not
always see the signs of God’s presence with our eyes. The Second Sunday of Easter is the
time to ensure that we conquer the world though faith and by being born of God through
Jesus’s resurrection:
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.
By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we obey his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whatever is born of God conquers the world.
And this is the victory that conquers the world,
our faith.
Who is it that conquers the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ,
not with the water only but with the water and the blood.
And the Spirit is the one that testifies,
for the Spirit is the truth.” (1 John 5.1-6)
The Second Sunday of Easter summons us to be of one heart and soul as a people of the
risen Christ:
“The whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul,
and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions,
but everything they owned was held in common.
With great power the apostles gave their testimony
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them,
for as many as owned lands or houses
sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.
They laid it at the apostles’ feet,
and it was distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4.32-35)
Let us open up our hearts and minds to receive peace from the risen Christ so that we
might be messengers of his true peace wherever we go. Let us conquer every moment of
this week by being born of God. Let us be of one heart and soul with the works and plans
of God.