Price of peace
You can just imagine what the disciples of Christ were going through after his crucifixion, death, and burial. Side by side with their grief and sorrow for his death was their deep fear for their own lives. That is why a group of them were together behind closed doors, as narrated in today’s Gospel reading (Jn. 20:19). This was precisely the time when the Risen Jesus appeared in their midst and said: “Peace be with you.” Not once but twice, so they would not miss it, and He followed this by adding: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
They were together again the following week with the doors locked, and this time the apostle Thomas was with them. His human logic was stronger than his spiritual faith when he exclaimed: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (v.25). Again, for the third time, Jesus appeared before them, and for the third time said,” Peace be with you.” Thomas’ faith awakened and he humbly exclaimed: “My Lord and my God.” But the punchline of it all came with the loving words of Jesus that followed: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
The price of peace is loving faith, amidst all the signs of crucifixion. This is the spiritual challenge as well as opportunity for each one of us. As one author puts it, the nail marks of the crucifixion are all around us. Many are sick. Others are jobless. The majority of our people are materially poor.
“So where are our ‘wounds,’ our ‘nail marks’? What hurt do we feel for others, what burdens have we taken on for the sake of another? What crosses have we borne that we might bring the hope of resurrection into someone’s experience of crucifixion? . . . We all have scars from our own Good Fridays that remain despite our small Resurrections. Our ‘nail marks’ remind us that all pain and grief, all ridicule and suffering, all disappointments and anguish, are transformed into healing and peace in the love of God we experience from others and that we extend to them. Jesus says to Thomas and his brothers not be afraid of the nail marks and the scars and the fractured bones and the crushed spirit and the broken heart. Compassion, forgiveness, justice – no matter how clumsily offered – can heal and mend. In the light of unwavering hope, with the assurance of God’s unlimited grace, even the simplest act of kindness and understanding is the realization of Easter in our midst.” (From Connections, April 2015)
A couple and their two teenage children were all eagerly set to leave for a Holy Week pilgrimage to the Holy Land. A week before their trip, their one and only house-helper suffered a severe stroke, and she was rushed to the hospital. After a thorough diagnosis was done, the doctor proposed a radical cancer operation, which was very expensive. An alternative was to treat her with strong medicines, but the results would be unreliable. The couple could not afford both the trip and the operation financially, and so they prayed over it and decided to cancel their family pilgrimage. A real cross for both the couple and their children. The operation was done, and it was a real success, which was no less than a resurrection for both the housemaid and the couple. Without their conscious awareness, the Risen Lord whispered to both the housemaid and the couple. “Peace be with you.” Goodbye, Holy Land!
In my more than 40 years of ministry as a professional marriage counselor, I have experienced God’s loving intervention between husband and wife who are in serious trouble, provided both spouses respond to God’s presence, push aside their egos, and reach out to each other’s needs, based on mutual love and justice. Due to human frailties, the process can be long but doable. At the end of it all, each spouse will hear God’s voice in the silence of his/her heart: Peace be with you. God, husband, and wife. The perfect love triangle.
On the community level, our First Reading for today precisely describes the early Christian community as stewards of Christ, rather than owners of their possessions. “There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need” (Acts 4:34-35).
Is this still happening today? In quite a number of Christian communities today, something similar is happening indeed. From Couples for Christ, to Marriage Encounter communities, to Gawad Kalinga villages, to mention a few. As far as I know, there are already 2,400 GK villages all over our country, not to mention that it now exists in a number of other countries outside the Philippines. And the resilience, cooperation, and dedicated work of the beneficiary families as led by the GK organizers are simply amazing. Not only in building their houses, but in value formation programs and community building. A British author, Thomas Graham, was so inspired by his visits to GK villages all over the country that he wrote and published a very inspiring book just this past year, 2014, entitled The Genius of the Poor – A Journey with Gawad Kalinga.
Let us humbly and gratefully accept the presence and message of the Risen Christ. PEACE BE WITH YOU.