As we conclude Holy Week, it is especially natural this year for us to look for some sense of hope, of consolation, of reassurance in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. And in truth the messages of faith abound.

 

On Holy Thursday we were reminded of the Last Supper. Jesus, knowing what is in store for Him, gathers His Apostles and perpetuates His presence in the priesthood and especially in the Eucharist. 

 

The presence of Jesus and His work among us in the sacraments has for too long been taken for granted. Perhaps this year we can see more clearly what a gift beyond all telling are the Catholic Church and the sacraments.

 

On Good Friday, we look upon the sufferings offered for us by Jesus. Fear? Anguish? Resolve? Uniting His will to the Father? All the things we are going through at this moment were shared fully by Jesus 2,000 years ago. 

 

It gives us the courage not to give up and not to become downhearted as shutdowns, separation from sacraments and even health and death statistics seem to extend endlessly.

 

As always with faith, there is hope. There is the promise of an endpoint that sets everything right and offers to each of us the fulfillment of who we were made to be. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, Son of God and one of us. 

 

The Easter Gospels relay to us the accounts of the witnesses who saw Jesus in a glorified body that passed through and then overcame suffering and death. 

 

He is risen! There is meaning to life and even the suffering that we endure.

 

On Easter Sunday, the Gospel of John records that Jesus’s first words when He met with His disciples were of peace. “Peace be with you” (Jn 20:19). Especially in this unprecedented moment in our lives, that greeting should not be overlooked or underappreciated.

 

All of the fear and disappointment of Jesus’s followers since the spectacle of the crucifixion can be summed up in hearts that were bereft of peace. 

 

Concern about their future, concern about the apparent loss of one they loved, a sense of hopelessness, all of these factors combined to leave them without that personal tranquility that we were meant for.

Jesus gives to His friends on Easter night His gift of peace. And we need to recognize that His peace differs from other kinds of peace the world may seek.

 

There is, for example, the peace that comes, temporarily, from material things. Our society often encourages us to seek peace by surrounding ourselves with earthly comforts and distractions. If we are honest, however, that peace is fleeting. 

 

Material things wear out and empty our pockets. And in truth, they leave a sense of emptiness because they last only as long as life and this world.

 

There is another peace which is that of the tomb. That is the kind of despairing tranquility that accepts the hopelessness and finality of death. 

 

That peace makes everything that has gone before to be understood as having no lasting value or even any meaning. That peace is at most a dark escape from anguish and suffering.

 

And then there is the peace of Jesus. That is the peace of the Lamb who lives forever and who loves us. He gives meaning to our lives, including the suffering, because all was a test in this life with one question: Do you love me? 

 

His is the peace that does not wear out like worldly pleasures. It is peace to be embraced joyfully, not sadly like death.

 

In the midst of a challenging and even sorrowful time, we need to be reminded. He is risen! 

 

If we live faithfully, we will share in Christ’s offering of eternal life.

 

Happy Easter.