Peace? You Must Be Kidding: ruminations of a retired priest
Our double dead-bolted doors may or may not protect us from an intruder’s hateful assault, but, nothing can steal the peace delivered to us in the merciful cloud of Jesus’ breath.
Mass shootings plunder peace in schools, churches, mosques, synagogues, a convenience store, bank, farm, dance hall and private homes. “As of mid-April, the Gun Violence Archive has counted at least 145 mass shootings in the United States this year.” * The other morning on NPR I heard, “More than half of Americans have dealt with gun violence in their personal lives.”**
The smell of senseless death sickens me. Pummeled by dread news of disaster, distressing phone calls and texts, twitter feeds, front page scandals and unimaginable horrors, the flames of fear threaten to consume me. How can I entertain the possibility of peace when the United States is suffused with fear and hatred… and so are I? Surely now is the time to install security systems and lock myself in an airless room with Jesus’ terrified disciples. (See John’s text below) But, there is an alternative.
When I pause, draw a deep breath and make myself sit still, often I receive a gift of peace that makes absolutely no sense given the alarming circumstances of life these days.
Locked in the upper room of our minds, ruminating on all the evils we fear are out to get us, like the disciples who witness the torture and murder of their teacher, their friend Jesus, our impulse is to go into hiding, close our eyes and harden our hearts against evil. Here is the thing. Our double dead-bolted doors may or may not protect us from an intruder’s hateful assault, but, nothing can steal the peace delivered in the merciful cloud of Jesus’ breath.
When in the midst of our most horrifying hours we pause to draw a deep breath and be still, Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness echo in our hearts; “Peace be with you.” And, even though the blood of his wounds is still fresh, like a fragrant cloud the teacher’s voice settles within us,”Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” The message is unequivocal. Peace that makes absolutely no sense is with us, even within our brutalized flesh.
The peace of which the teacher Jesus speaks is interior. It is freedom, freedom from disturbance regardless of what transpires around us. Inner peace does not demand the absence of external challenges, inequities or violence. Glancing backward through history it is difficult to find a moment unmarked by disease, natural disasters or inhumane brutality. Looking into the future it is hard to imagine a moment when accidents and earthquakes, mass shootings and inequities will not interrupt peace. So we challenge Jesus, “You must be kidding! How can we possibly experience peace?”
Jesus elaborates. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. (My peace is not external, visible peace; the absence of storms, injustice or terror.) Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (Mine is an internal, perplexing peace; composure, calm and concord sustained regardless of the reckless tides of circumstance.) (John 14.27)
It is important to notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say, “I come to end all conflict, wipe out every disease, stop mass shootings and eliminate inequity.” Jesus does not say, “I come to rescue you and a few right believing others, and whisk you away to a happily ever after life.” No, with one breath Jesus comes and restores our fearful hearts to inner peace. With the very next breath the teacher instructs us to put our fingers in his wounds and feel the very real pain of conflict and tragic brutality. Then, rather than harbor hatred or look for someone to blame and retaliate, we are “to forgive the sins of any,” because if we retain them we wreck our inner peace.
Today as we recoil from the perpetual pummeling of provoking news, alarming texts from friends, distressing calls from relatives, twitter feeds and front page scandals, like the disciples we are tempted to lock ourselves into airless rooms and let the flames of our fear fester. But when we pause, draw a deep breath and sit still, we may hear Jesus’ words settling in our hearts, “Peace be with you,” and with a smattering of grace and a bit of grit we just may decide to continue the peace by forgiving the sins of others.
- https://www.nytimes.com/article/mass-shootings-2023.html (found on 11 April 2023)
- * NPR, Morning edition, 11 April 2023
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John 20:19–31 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
