2026/04/12 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

Second Sunday of Easter / Sunday of Divine Mercy

- Margaret Gilman, Interim Director of Religious Education

“Peace be with you.”  These are the first words Jesus says to the disciples after his resurrection.  He stands in their midst, shows them his hands and his sides and repeats, “Peace be with you”.  He continues, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  Today’s Gospel reading is immense in impact.  We are called by Jesus to be peacemakers. So what does that look like in today’s world?

We live in a world today that can appear to be full of conflict.  This conflict is felt on a global level with war and unrest.  It is also felt at a micro level with disagreement, anger, jealousy, and unease in our homes, families, social groups, and communities.  Jesus, through his very first words to the disciples, is calling us to Peace. 

We celebrated the miraculous resurrection of Jesus just two Sundays ago.  Pope Leo used his first Easter message to address Peace.  He proclaimed, “Let those who have weapons lay them down.  Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.  Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue.  Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.”  We are called to encounter others and through our action of sharing our humanity we may bring peace to the world.  It is often difficult to feel like our actions as individuals really have any impact on global relations, but we must remember we are directly called by Jesus to be peacemakers. 

The divisions in our society have bled into divisions in our personal lives as well.  We all have examples of friendships and family bonds that have strained because of political and ideological differences.  Again, we must remember that we are called to bring peace. This happens through our actions, our smiles, a shared conversation or meal, words of encouragement, showing up for someone who is hurting.  It is in experiencing together our shared humanity of blessings and struggle that we will live the words Jesus taught us, “Peace be with you.”