Scripture Reflection - April 27, 2025

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 5:12-16 | Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19    | John 20:19-31

“Peace Be with You” — A Gift from the Risen Christ

Today, we turn to a quiet room in Jerusalem, where fear hangs in the air like smoke. The disciples, huddled behind locked doors, didn’t know what would come next. Jesus, their teacher and hope, had been crucified. And now, strange rumors of His resurrection filled the streets. But fear still gripped them. Grief still silenced them. Guilt still weighed them down.

Then suddenly, Jesus stood among them. And His first words? “Peace be with you.”

Three times in this short passage (John 20:19,21,26), Jesus says these words. This is no ordinary greeting. This is the voice of the Risen Lord speaking life into a room full of fear. This is not small talk. This is salvation.

Let’s think about this: Jesus had every reason to speak words of rebuke. His disciples had fled. Peter had denied Him. None had stood at the cross but John. And yet, the first words from the mouth of their crucified and risen Savior are not, “Why did you leave me?” or “You failed me,” but rather: “Peace be with you.”

That, my sisters and brothers, is grace. That is the heart of God made flesh.

Peace Is Reconciliation with God

The peace Jesus offers each of us is not temporary or shallow. It’s not about circumstances being calm and to our liking. This peace is the fulfillment of the promise celebrated at his birth when the angels sang: “Peace on earth, goodwill to all.” The promise renewed in the Resurrected Christ. The promise lived in faith communities as they devote themselves to living their faith generously and authentically.

The gift of peace offered by Jesus the Christ calls us into life and reconciles us to God and one another. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has made a way for us to end separation from God and one another. The grace of “Peace be with you” is restored relationship with God and one another time and time again.

Peace Is Freedom from Fear

Remember where the disciples were—locked away in fear. And where are we today? Many of us are still locking the doors of our hearts—afraid of failure, pain, rejection, or uncertainty. But the risen Christ walks through those locked doors. He doesn’t wait for fear to leave before He enters. He brings His peace right into the middle of our fear. And, in doing so, we are empowered and commanded to do the same, to bring the gift of Christ’s peace and the healing it brings to each person and situation.

Peace Is a Calling

When Jesus says, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you,” He is missioning us to not just proclaim good news but to embody it. The peace given us is meant to flow outward, touch lives, restore relationships, and heal what’s broken in the world. Just as Jesus walked into rooms of fear, suffering, and division with presence and power, we are called to do the same. We are sent into a world marked by anxiety, hostility, and isolation—not as spectators but as agents of peace.

This peace we carry is not passive—it’s active, courageous, and deeply relational. It looks like forgiving when it’s hard, reaching across divides, listening with compassion, and showing mercy when it’s not deserved. It means choosing grace over grudges and hope over cynicism. As Christ was sent to reconcile the world to God, we are now sent to reflect that same reconciling love in our workplaces, our homes, our neighborhoods. Wherever we go, we bear witness to the risen Christ—not only in word but in the peace-filled way we live, love, and lead.

So today, we are invited to hear these words not as history but as a promise.

Wherever you are—whether behind locked doors of anxiety, guilt, or grief—Jesus comes and says: “Peace be with you.”

May you receive that peace. May it calm your fears. May it restore your soul. And may it move you to carry peace into the lives of others. In the name of the risen Christ—Amen.

Sr. Didi Madden, OP