Peace Be With You
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 20:19-20
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their presence and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Grace Prayed For
Lord, let your peace — not as the world gives — take root in the deepest part of us, especially where fear and shame have made their home.
Reflection
The doors were locked. This detail is not incidental — it tells us everything about the interior state of the disciples. They were hiding. They had fled the arrest, abandoned Jesus in his hour of need, and now huddled behind bolted doors, afraid that what had happened to him would happen to them.
And yet the Risen Christ came and stood in their presence.
Locked doors do not stop resurrection. Neither do locked hearts.
The first word Jesus speaks is not an accusation. Not ‘Where were you on Friday?’ Not ‘Why did you run?’ He says: Peace. He shows them his hands and his side — not as evidence of what they failed to prevent, but as assurance that the one standing before them is the same one who was crucified. The wounds are not gone; they are transformed. They become the seal of his identity and the source of their joy.
For those of us who carry shame — about ways we have failed, times we have hidden behind our own locked doors — this scene is essential medicine. The Risen Christ seeks us out. He enters the room we’ve sealed against intrusion. He speaks peace before we’ve had a chance to explain or apologize.
This is important for small groups to hold carefully. Real community is not possible behind locked doors. We gather across the threshold of our various fears and failures, and the Risen Christ stands already in the center of that gathering, offering peace.
What door have you kept locked? What room in your heart are you afraid to let others — or even God — enter?
Peace be with you. The door is already opening.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post