Sunday April 7th: "Peace be with you".

When Jesus appeared “in the evening of that same day” to the disciples in the room, his opening words, reported by St John were, “Peace be with you.”  The disciples were filled with joy and he repeated, “Peace be with you.”

Thomas, who had not been present and who had doubted the Lord’s Resurrection was with them eight days later.  When Jesus appeared again, his opening words, were, as before, “Peace be with you.”

We might think that the obvious opposite of “peace” would be “conflict.”  But doubt and fear are also opposites of peace.  The Lord’s Resurrection brought freedom from doubt and freedom from fear to his disciples. 

We have just celebrated Holy Week and Easter in the parish and I am very grateful for our reverent and prayerful liturgies to which so many people contributed and which so many attended.  Six parishioners were baptised and another four were received into the Church.

On our own journeys of faith, we can often experience doubt and fear as well as other problems.  As we continue to celebrate Easter until Pentecost, we are invited to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit and to experience a new peace in our lives.   

God Bless,

Fr Kevin