Third Sunday of Easter
In just the past week and a half the earth quaked and the moon passed between the earth and the sun. These are two events that remind us how small we are and how little we are in control of. When we bring to mind how little we are in control of, it tends to either comfort us or to make us feel overwhelmed. When we feel overwhelmed, we might feel that our deep inner peace becomes fragmented or absent altogether. And the chain of events continues, which on its own can give us more feelings of ambiguous pressure – so much so that we forget why we felt out of control in the first place. But with a heart oriented toward Christ, we can always recall the way He greeted His disciples after He rose from the dead.
“Peace, be with you.”
After the most brutal way to lose a friend, that very friend appears with those four words. With a foundation of peace as an order from our Savior, no amount of negative emotion can pierce the solid rock that inner peace establishes in us. And to be truthful, it is somewhat ironic how the apostles react after hearing those words. They are immediately frightened. But this precise moment is a delineator of the power of speech – especially from the Son of God. Jesus isn’t talking about the world getting along, the lack of war, or tie-dye t-shirts with different symbols (although all of these things are nice!). He speaks of a peace in that moment. A peace that consumes the apostles in knowing that He has conquered death. A peace that eventually gives them the courage to go out into the world and become martyrs for the faith we share.
So, on this Third Sunday of Easter, I pray that we are all reminded that if we begin with just one moment, this type of peace can become our root that holds us firm on the ground of our faith. A ground so strong that nothing can shake it. A ground so secure that no darkness can cover the light that comes from the assuredness of embracing its presence.