As
a child—I think it was because I had such a vivid imagination—I
seemed to be afraid of almost everything. Maybe it’s because
of that, but today I hate to see anyone afraid. Sadly at the
moment there are so many people living in fear, especially fear of
not being able to cope or provide for their families because of all
that is happening. It is very understandable and yet it is also
one thing that God does not want for us. 366 times in the
Scriptures are the words ‘Do not be afraid.’ God wants us
to be at peace.
2000
years ago on Holy Thursday night, out of fear the Apostles all
abandoned Jesus, even though they believed He was the Son of God.
Judas betrayed him for money. Peter tried to be faithful, but
ended up publicly swearing that he never knew Jesus. They all
betrayed him. Now after Easter they are locked in the upper
room in fear. They were afraid first because they knew they
could face the same punishment as Jesus since they were his
associates. Perhaps they were also afraid of what God might do
to them because they had betrayed Jesus, the Son of God. It is
a very human response to be afraid of God when we feel we have
betrayed him in some way either by the way we live, or by something
we have done.
Then
something beautiful happens. Jesus is suddenly standing with
them in the room and he says: ‘Peace be with you.’ The
first thing he does is take away their fear. There are no words
of condemnation for having abandoned him a few days before.
There are no words of judgement on how they were unable to be
faithful. Instead: ‘Peace be with you.’ ‘It’s
alright.’
I
don’t know about you, but I can certainly say that I have often
felt that I have betrayed the Lord by my actions. Sometimes I
even wish I was not a priest, because then I would not have to deal
with what is sacred. It is difficult to have to deal with the
sacred when you are aware that you are a sinner. It is easier
to run and hide. Think of Peter when Jesus worked the miracle
of the great catch of fish. Peter’s reaction was, ‘Leave me
Lord I am a sinful man.’ Yet when Jesus appears to the
Apostles, the first thing He does is to put them at ease.
‘Peace be with you.’
Each
time in the mass when we recall this wish of Jesus to give us his
peace—which is not just a universal prayer for peace, but a
reminder of what Jesus said to his followers—He is saying, ‘do
not be afraid, because I am not here to condemn you, even if you
deserve to be condemned. Peace be with you.’ God only
wants us to come closer to him and to know that He is not going to
act as we do to each other, with frowns or giving out. He knows
what we are like. He knows that we betray him, but He still
tells us to be at peace. I for one, find that very comforting.
Think
too of Thomas who in his grief at the death of Jesus would not
believe the words of others that Jesus was alive. When you are
grieving you don’t want someone else to give you false hope,
because it is too painful. And then when Jesus did appear to
him He was so kind in helping him to believe. No giving out, no
words of recrimination, but instead Jesus invites Thomas to put his
finger into his wounds, so that he would believe. No
condemnation for not being good enough; only encouragement.
In
this gospel Jesus also gives his disciples the authority to forgive
sins in his name. Why? So that we need not ever be living in
fear of God. Through the priesthood we have the concrete
reassurance of God’s mercy and forgiveness, so that we can move on
when we have done wrong; so that we need not live in fear. No
condemnation, only encouragement and love.
This
is also what we celebrate today as Divine Mercy Sunday; the
extraordinary mercy of God, which is way beyond our understanding.
One of the reasons it’s probably so hard for us to understand it is
because we never experience this kind of mercy from other human
beings, so we don’t know what to make of it and we find it hard to
really believe in it. So often I’ve heard people say to me, ‘Will
God forgive me?’ And yet that is what the Scriptures are full of.
If we have the slightest response to God’s call, He only shows us
mercy and compassion.
‘Peace
be with you. It is I, do not be afraid.’
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