Easter 2B (John 20:19-31)

[Reflecting on today’s gospel lesson, let's contemplate the three sayings of Jesus: 1) "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 2) "Receive the Holy Spirit.” and 3) “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:21-23)]

1) In presiding over our Sunday Eucharist, I aim to infuse each aspect with thoughtful intentionality, connecting our liturgy seamlessly to our daily lives. Sometime in January of last year, I talked about “The Lord be with you,” which is the opening greeting before we pray in our worship. This liturgical dialogue of mutual greeting can be perceived as a means to remind one another of the inner presence of God. 

Just like “The Lord be with you” there’s another one that carries the symbol of the resurrection. That is, “The peace of the Lord be always with you.” This greeting is the greeting of the resurrection as we hear in today’s gospel lesson. The risen Christ greets his friends and says, “Peace be with you.” This peace is not just a general wish for peace but the peace that overcomes death or the worst possible situation that one can imagine. This is the peace of perpetual resilience and hope that grants true happiness despite external obstacles. So, again, when we exchange this greeting of peace, we are not only reminded of the resurrection peace but also of the call or duty to cultivate that peace in us as Jesus adds to his peace greeting, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” This is much more urgently needed in our world which is so divided. 

2) How do we then cultivate this resurrection peace? Jesus doesn’t leave us with nothing but provides a means to get on it. He breathes on his friends after sharing his peace and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Try NOT to imagine that Jesus is trying to do something magical here. Rather, visualize him showing how he has received the Holy Spirit as he breathes on his friends. The key here is that the breath he shares is the breath you now inhale and exhale. It’s not coming from up there or over here but within. That which breathes within is the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, sustaining life. 

As we reflect on this saying of Jesus, there’s one more thing to do which is crucial. We must put this into practice if we truly want to cultivate the resurrection peace in our lives. Find a quiet place where you can concentrate on your breath. Sit comfortably, having your back straight. See how you’re actually breathing in and out. You’re not just breathing the air but imagine it is the energy traveling and circulating throughout your organs, vessels, and bloodstreams. By concentrating on one thing, which is our breath, we remain still. This stillness becomes the foundation of your being. 

Experiencing this inner stillness is good for us for one particular reason. It helps us tremendously live wisely and skillfully as we learn to know our emotions, feelings, and thoughts much better. This reduces stress in life and thus we suffer less. Here’s an example of what I’m trying to show. Suppose I’m enraged and act on it. In this case, I become the rage itself. I = enraged. See figure 1 below. 

What our practice of stilling prayer or meditation does is then the following. I step away from that rage as I keep in mind the Breath of God through my breath flowing in and out. See figure 2.

As I deepen my concentration on my breath, there’s a gap or space created between rage and me. That gap or space is to recognize God’s presence in us. The more we practice, the wider and deeper the presence of God becomes. See figure 3.

This stilling prayer in the presence of God doesn’t aim to rid of rage itself. Let’s be honest. We feel what we feel based on our experience with external things and people out there. The goal of getting in touch with God’s breath or presence is not becoming a robot that doesn’t feel. We want to be wise and skillful in our actions so that we don’t act on strong feelings unskillfully because it doesn’t bring good outcomes. So rage is still there but managed. See figure 4.

3) This then leads us to Jesus’ saying on forgiveness: “ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” When we’re in a situation to forgive, we are most likely resentful of a wrongdoer. Replace “rage” with “resentment” in the images below. 

When we can manage resentment, we are doing the work of forgiveness, which basically means “unbinding.” We’re not enslaved to the victim role who feeds off of resentment but are free. This process of forgiveness or unbinding is essential to our happiness. It does not erase the wrongs but frees us from the shackles of resentment. 

We do not forgive wrongdoers for them but for ourselves. Otherwise, we’re bound by resentment from which we suffer. (For those who have wronged others, forgiveness is also essential to their happiness because they’re bound by guilt and shame. To make amends on their part is to set themselves free.) 

So my friends in Christ, would you join me in the journey of peace-cultivating that leads to peacebuilding?