“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 midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” (JN 20: 19)
We have so many fears: for the fear of the virus, of losing a job, of losing child or other relationship, of being rejected or wounded, and many, many others. Our Lord is coming today to bring us peace: “Peace be with you” and the Holy Spirit. He promised, we are never alone, and the Holy Spirit will keep us away from any kind of fears, to make our love and life more fruitful.
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” (JN 21: 25)
It will be the same with us if we want to share our stories of Jesus’ miracles that we experienced in our lives. In our individual lives and in our relationships, Our Lord is coming and helping us to grow, to reflect, to improve, and to start again and again. Jesus is always with us, and His loving presence is very active.
“I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will guide you to all truth.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,
he said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’” (JN 21: 15)
It is very good for every relationship to have very special moments, moments that are very well organized, with small but important details, to make our connection stronger, healthier, and always improving. It is also very good to remember that every day and every occasion is a perfect moment to go deeper and deeper to protect our bond. Our Lord asked Simon Peter the most important question: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” just after breakfast. So, starting today, we can make our breakfast with our spouses a perfect moment to declare our love to them, and of course “more than” yesterday.
“The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” (JN 21: 19)
“He said to him” and to you and to me. He is saying this to every person who wants to listen to Him and wants to follow Him. Our lives are meant to “glorify God,” to respect God’s will and to establish around us the civilization of love and life. Our lives have a purpose, we are important, we are missionaries in this world to proclaim the Good News about unconditional love.
“The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (J 17: 24)
It is unbelievable how important we are to Our Lord: “I wish that where I am they also may be with me.” He, Who died for us, Who knows perfectly our weaknesses and sins, our limits and all these bad behaviors, wants us with Him forever. And the only reason He wants us there is because we are loved like He is “loved before the foundation of the world.”
“May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.” (JN 17: 6-8)
We are so honored to belong to the generations of those who have “kept your word.” And it is our mission, for our generation, to keep God’s word proclaimed and protected in our hearts and in our relationships, in our families and in our friends, in our homes and in our offices.
“I will ask the father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (JN 16: 33)
There is no situation, no trouble, or problem in our lives when we are alone, without any help or solution. We can always trust in Him. He promised: “in the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” Our Lord encourages us to “have peace in Him,” not alone.
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“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.” (MT 28: 18-20)
The last words of Our Lord, like the last words of someone who leaves us, are very important. This is especially true when the last words come from Our Lord, who loves us and came to express God’s love to us. He gave us a mission and He promised to be “with us always, until the end of the age;” how happy we are.
“Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (JN 16: 27-28)
Everything in Our Lord’s life was and is about Father. He is the only One (to say nothing about the Holy Spirit) Who knows Him perfectly, Who knows how much He loves us, how important we are for Him, and how much we are missed in heaven. Our Lord’s mission was to tell us about God the Father and that “the Father himself loves us.”
“I came from the Father and have come into the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, ‘Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.’” (JN 16: 19-20)
For the Apostles “a little while” was to wait until Resurrection; for us “a little while” will be on our death or we will await his visible return in glory. So “a little while” in years could be long or short depends on many other factors. The good news is that we will see Him: “our grief will become joy.” And He wants to be with us, He wants to see us and He will come again.
“I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.” (Gospel Acclamation)
