REFLECTION FOR EASTER THURSDAY (OCTAVE OF EASTER)

TO ALL THOSE IN NEED OF PEACE, THE PEACE THAT THE WORLD CANNOT GIVE

First Reading: Acts 3:11-26
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 8:2,5-9
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:35-48
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How frequently do we yearn for peace and how much do we need it? How much do our souls want for the tranquility that only God can provide? We are sometimes “annihilated” by the anxieties of our time and the dangers of life; we are “annihilated” on one side and on the other by disappointments, failures, deceptions, and insincerity from others. And since we lack the skills to deal with life’s challenges, we frequently lose our ability to be peaceful and sleep in tranquility. To bring back the genuine emotions of the soul and heart, we require the Risen One. To give our souls and ourselves new life and to give us serenity, we need the Resurrected Christ.

Peace is the first gift from the Risen Lord. The risen Lord appears to his disciples in today’s gospel reading (cf. Lk. 24:13–35) after his resurrection and assures them that He is alive. The Master’s resurrection was still difficult for the disciples to accept. When Jesus asked them to touch his hands and feet, they verified that it was the Lord himself who was there in person and gave their testimony. Jesus gives the gift of peace to his followers and to every one of us whenever we gather in his name. They were first made stronger and released from fear by the Peace of Jesus. The same calm returns to us now and gives us new life, hope, and the light of the Risen One. The people around us need to know about his tranquility. Jesus’ brand of peace is unique; it drives us to put ourselves aside and serve others. As the disciples did in the First Reading (cf. Acts 3:11-26) by showcasing the power of the risen Christ at work in and through them, as seen in the healing of the crippled man, the peace of Christ should enable us to be his authentic witnesses by words and deeds capable of winning souls for Christ.

Dear friends in Christ, if the peace of Christ is that which the world cannot give, it also follows that the world cannot take it away.  We must transmit the peace of the Resurrected Christ to all peoples. Let’s accept the peace that the Risen One brings to resurrect our spirits and hearts. On this day, I wish the Peace of Christ to all people battling in this trying time due to terminal illnesses, depression, disappointments, failure, poverty, childlessness, etc.  May the calamity and anxiety brought about by our terrible development be destroyed by the Risen Saviour. We have all faced challenges in life, and humanity is currently experiencing a terrible catastrophe, but we won’t give up because we know in whom we have placed our hope and trust: our Lord Jesus Christ, who loves us. As the psalmist of today says, “What is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?” So let’s give our souls and emotions a fresh start by allowing the light of the Risen One to shine upon us, and root out every form of negativity in us. Let us extinguish all anxiety, dread, terror, and panic. Let’s allow the Risen Lord’s light to inspire us and give us a cause to live joyfully. May the brightness of the Resurrected Christ ease our minds, provide calm, and give us peace so that we can confront adversity with serenity that does not come from humans, but from Heaven.