“Peace Be With You”

Awhile back, the angels had asked me to dedicate Sundays to the Gospels. With Love and Gratitude, here is the Gospel of John 20: 19-31. JN 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
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.”
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to 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 into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
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.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus invites us to lift in His Eternal Peace. Just as He appeared to His Disciples, His Word remains in us. The Peace Jesus offers is His Eternal Peace that emanates from the Lord; and goes forth from Him into every Disciple’s heart and mind.  We are His brothers and sisters when we act on God’s Word and Love one another.

“As the Father sends me so I send you.” ~We are to mirror from our hearts the true compassion Jesus has for all of God’s people and all God has Created. 

Jesus then Breathed on the Disciples similarly to the way that God Breathed life into Adam (Genesis 2:7), when God breathed life into the dry bones of God’s people prophesied by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:5-14), and when God breathed life into His two witnesses (Revelation 11:11-12); which is the Holy Spirit of the Lord.
Jesus, Glorified as he breathed God’s Spirit into the Disciples is commissioning us all to go forth and where there is sin, to remind others that the Mercy of God is Healing and Restoring -and Spiritual Communion in the Mercy of Jesus, can come from Healing. Thus offering the witness of the Mercy of God for those who can appeal to God through Jesus; making a heartfelt and contrite Reconciliation through God’s Unending and Healing Mercy; restoring Faith and Love in God’s Kingdom.

The Disciples and companions of Thomas witnessed to Thomas that Jesus had indeed Risen and they had seen the Lord. Disbelieving their witness, Thomas said,”

Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” But still, Jesus in His Compassion appeared to Thomas. It is in hardness of a heart that one would not believe that Jesus is Risen. Yet the Mercy and Compassion of our Lord still breathes His Spirit into what was once hardened.
The words that Thomas uses when The Lord appears to Thomas, asking Thomas to touch His Wounds and not to be disbelieving, is “My Lord and my God!” Which we are able to see the witness of Jesus as the second part of the Holy Most High Trinity. That Jesus is Lord and God can be witnessed in him as One. That we can witness the Father and the Son as one in the Holy Spirit of God that came forth from Jesus as He breathed Life into the Disciples as God once did.
Jesus loves Thomas and loves God’s people- but goes on to say of those who believe in Him “blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”

~partially, from a homily from Fr. Mike at Prince of Peace Church (April 19th Mass), and partially channeled from the angels of God.