The two disciples recounted [to the Eleven back in Jerusalem] what had taken place on the way [the road to Emmaus], and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." [JPII "Do not be afraid."] But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, "Thus is it written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."
The Gospel of the Lord.
Rev. Jack Peterson, Arlington, Virginia:
Luke and John recount in their Gospels that Jesus' most common greeting during the resurrection appearances was "Peace be with you." * * * * Yet, there is more to Christ's gift of peace than a simple desire to calm his frantic followers.
[John Paul II:] "Therefore, [Peace] is not the result of human efforts nor can it be achieved only through agreements between persons and institutions. Rather, it is a gift to be accepted with generosity, to be preserved with care, and to be made fruitful with maturity and responsibility. However troubled the situation may be, however strong the tension and conflict, nothing can resist the effective renewal brought by the risen Christ. He is our peace."
One of the most powerful ways that we bear witness to Christ is when his peace reigns in our hearts. The world is starving for peace, on every level. If we know Christ's peace, if it reigns in our lives in spite of life's countless trials, then people will seek the source of our peace and we will be led to Christ. When we are deeply aware that the war has already been won by Christ and with Him at the center of our lives we have nothing to fear, the Good News will spread like a brushfire on this earth.
Lord, make me a peace-filled witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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