Thursday, April 23, 2020

THE WITNESS OF PEACE


EASTER MEDITATION II
“On the evening of that day, the day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (Jn 20:19).
Jesus' Body—Was It Flesh or Spirit After His Resurrection? | Bible ...
Previously we meditated on the first and immediate witness to the resurrection, which was the open grave. What if they saw the rolled away stone but no one saw Jesus? The Easter event would have ended as a myth. It was His appearances to His disciples that finally convinced them, and gave them such courage as to witness to Jesus in every situation. “Now we are those witnesses—we have eaten and drunk with Him after His resurrection from the dead” (Acts 10:41). By showing Himself to them, Jesus thus witnessed to His resurrection before the disciples and imprinted in their hearts this assurance that He is alive! “We cannot stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Nevertheless, through Jesus’ appearances to the disciples we come to gaze into the spirituality of life in the Resurrection.

In His foremost appearance to Mary of Magdala, Jesus sent her to announce the good news of the resurrection to the disciples (Jn 20: 17-18). “Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; there they will see me’” (Mt 28:10). This victory over fear is an underlying message that Jesus continued to pass across as He appeared to the disciples. By His victory over the grave, He emptied fear of its content! And His very presence is the only guarantee that they should not allow fear to rule their lives, despite the uncertainties and threatening situations around.
The most striking appearance was the one He appeared to the disciples in the room, where they lock themselves up for fear of the Jews. The mystery and power of the resurrected body is here shown to them as Jesus appeared to them though doors were locked. The life of the resurrection cannot be stopped by materiality. Human life is here taken up in divine life! And all who share in the life of the resurrection has their life taken up in hope through faith in Jesus Christ. They cannot locate the value of their lives, nor reduce the meaning of their lives, to anything material. Somehow, their lives pass through every obstacle. If we can begin to connect to this grace of the Resurrection then we are ready to accommodate the vital gifts that Jesus brought.

“Peace be with you” (Jn 20:19). Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22). And He gave them power to forgive sins. While the apostles were amazed at His awesome presence, He showed them His hands and feet, and ate before them to prove to them that He has human body and not a ghost (Lk 24:39-42). Human life has found a new abode! He who took our nature at His incarnation, now has our nature taken up in His divinity. It is within this new abode of the resurrection in Christ Jesus can we have peace in the midst of fear, freedom in bondage, power in powerless, health in sickness, life in death...Yes, the peace Jesus bestows surpasses the material order; closed doors cannot stop it! If we do not have the Holy Spirit and forgiveness of sins, the doors and walls of the world will wedge off our peace. Once we have forgiveness as a virtue, and receive it as a sacrament, our peace cannot be stopped by any material gain or lack.

We feel life is meaningful when it locates certain values we associate with it. The resurrected Jesus stands before us as the only value that can give meaning to our lives. He has opened a new horizon of life, with its gift of peace. In Christ Jesus is our peace (Eph 2:14-19). Thus, Peace becomes our all time testimony that He is alive. We cannot claim to be Easter people if we do not have peace and promote it. Presently, more people are easily given to anger, family feud is rampant, impulsive behaviour is in the increase,  addiction, etc. The things we acquire in search of peace end up leaving us restless and unsatisfied. There is no alternative to the Easter peace Jesus offers. He Himself testifies to His own resurrection by the open grave and His appearances to the apostles, and the Holy Spirit given to us. The imprint of this testimony is the peace He left in our hearts. We may not all travel to Jerusalem to see the empty tomb, but we can feel this divine peace in the hearts of believers. This is the courage and serenity with which the disciples overcame the Jewish hostilities. Here too is our victory; no virus can mutilate the peace Christ Jesus has given. This is our Easter joy; Peace is our Easter song! Alleluia is our chorus. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday April 23th, 2020.