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).
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.
