Luke 24:35-48
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36 And as they thus spoke, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
“Peace be with you,” he said.
The peace Jesus extends to us is something that we all desire. We want feel content in the moment, able to go about our lives without doubts, anxieties, worries or fears. Poverbs 5:3-8 tells us to trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, reminding us that there is a bigger picture, and to have faith that God will provide what we need to find peace. We can live in a state of peace. Jesus wants us to live there!
But living there doesn’t mean we live on easy street, that we don’t care about anything, that our lives will be fee from all stress, struggle, or even conflict. Indeed, Matthew 6:34 tells us, Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. What it means is that we know we can face whatever happens. We can work through whatever life brings our way, with a sense of calmness and reassurance because we have faith that the Holy Spirit is with us and in the end everything will be ok.
So how do we get that peace?
When Jesus came into the room and said, “Peace be with you,” the disciples were anything but peaceful. They were frightened and terrified. Jesus saw how troubled they were. He had to convince them that it really was him. After they realized they were in the presence of Jesus, the terror and fear were replaced with joy and amazement. Somehow everything was going to be ok. They were at peace.
Like those disciples, many of us are going about life feeling troubled. We just can’t find that sense of peace - we need to be convinced or reminded of the presence of Jesus in our lives. When we know we are in his presence, we can receive his peace, be filled with it, and be transformed by it.
Have you ever spent time alone in an adoration chapel or in a quiet church in front of the tabernacle? Did you feel like there was somebody else there with you? There was, it’s Jesus! In that moment you can receive and sometimes physically feel his peace come over you. Your mind becomes clear, your concerns fade, your body becomes still, relaxed, and comfortable, you don’t even want to leave. His peace is with you. But what about outside the church or chapel? Can we be in his presence when we are out in the world?
The short answer is YES. Jesus’ presence continues in the world through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes his works alive today. There is evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit working all around us all the time!
If you go to the YouTube channel for Holy Redeemer in Burton, (www.youtube.com/c/HolyRedeemerChurch/playlists) you can watch the testimonies of some of their parishioners. You’ll see how their lives were healed and transformed, which created the desire in their hearts to know Jesus more. He’s there.
Sometime as we go through our day, if we pay attention, we can notice many acts of kindness, done out of love. Several weeks ago, a woman came to Catholic Charities’ Center for Hope downtown. She was lost, confused, and needed medical attention, but refused to go to the hospital to get help. The Flint police were called, and after they arrived one of the officers immediately struck up a conversation with her. The officer listened to this woman for about 20 minutes. He made her feel like she mattered. She matted to him. It was a kind, sincere and tender conversation. The woman realized that this officer really cared about her and agreed to go to the hospital to receive the help she needed. He was there. The Holy Spirit present and working through a Flint police officer.
We can even know his presence in the more ordinary events of our life. Before you go to sleep tonight, remember the places, people, and events of the day and look for the times you were treated with love and kindness. Those times someone greeted you with a smile; when they dropped what they were doing to focus their attention on you; when they helped you with something, cared for you when you were struggling; or consoled you when you were sad. In all these ordinary acts of love and kindness, the Holy Spirit was present, caring for you.
When we take the time to know and be in the presence of the Holy Spirit we feel different, we feel safe, grateful, and blessed. The Holy Spirit is all around us and when it comes into us, we act out of love instead of worry and need for control. We choose to do the more loving thing, and not the more selfish thing. With the Holy Spirit, we can be content, we can live with calmness and reassurance, we can live at peace.