After His resurrection, Jesus greeted His disciples with the words, “Peace be with you”. This greeting is deeply meaningful and is recorded in several passages of the Gospels.

A. Biblical quotation

1. Luke 24:36 – While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you.

2. John 20:21 – Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the father has sent me, so I send you.

3. John 20:19 – When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you.

The greetings of peace that Jesus offered after His resurrection are deeply significant both theologically and pastorally. They highlight His victory over death, the reconciliation He offers, and the new relationship between God and humanity.

B. Why did Jesus say peace be with you

1. To calm their fears: The disciples were afraid and confused after Jesus’ crucifixion. By greeting them with peace, He reassured them of His presence and comforted their troubled hearts.
2. To signify reconciliation: Through His death and resurrection, Jesus reconciled humanity with God. Peace symbolises this new relationship – no longer under fear or sin, but under grace.
3. To fulfill His promise: Before His death, Jesus said: peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
4. To commission them in peace: His greeting became a sending forth in mission. As the father has sent me, so I send you. The peace he gave was also a strength for their future mission.

C. The difference of peace the world gives and the peace of Jesus after resurrection

The peace that the world offers differs significantly from that Jesus offers, particularly the peace He gives after His resurrection.

1.The nature of peace

1. World peace: The world often seeks peace through external means such as force, political balancing, or diplomacy. This kind of peace is often superficial and temporary. It is rooted in earthly things.

2. Christ’s peace: Christ’s peace is not just an absence of conflict but a deep, inner reconciliation and harmony. It reconciles souls, purifies hearts, and converts minds. It is rooted in reconciliation with God and extends to reconciliation with one’s brothers and sisters.

2. Source of peace

1. World peace: Worldly peace relies on circumstances, power structures, and external agreements, which are all subject to change and instability.

2. Christ’s peace: Jesus Christ is the sole source of genuine for Christians. This peace is a gift from Christ, merited by His sacrifice, and is not something the world can provide. It is a spiritual gift that dwells in our hearts and is essentially the love of God.

3. Impact on the individual

1. World peace: The world’s peace often leaves people with fear and uncertainty in their hearts. It may involve a superficial sense of calm but does not necessarily change the individual internally.

2. Christ’s peace: Christ’s peace brings serenity and an inner peace of soul that should be reflected in all human behaviour. It frees individuals from aggressiveness and egotism, fostering inner trust and perseverance in goodness.

• Conditions and means
• World peace: The world peace is often conditional and dependent on external factors such as political stability, economic prosperity, and social order.
• Christ’s peace: Christ’s peace is obtained through faith, trust in His mercy, and seeking the kingdom of God. It involves adhering to the twofold precept of love of God and neighbour.

In summary, the peace of the world is external, superficial, and temporary, while the peace of Jesus is internal, profound, and eternal. Christ’s peace transforms individuals, reconciling them with God and each other, and is a lasting gift that surpasses worldly understanding.

D. Practical way how to live up with peace of Jesus

To live in the peace of Jesus in a practical way involves embracing reconciliation, embodying virtues, and actively building peace in your daily interactions and within society

1. Cultivate inner peace: Begin with oneself by rejecting anger, inflexibility, and impatience. Strive for inner conversion of heart and soul. Practice a bit of sweetness towards oneself to offer a bit of sweetness to others.

2. Practice reconciliation: Seek reconciliation with God, recognising it as a gift of Christ’s peace and love. Forgive others as the Lord has forgiven you, understanding that peaceful relationships require the justice of Christ to permeate hearts and be expressed in the structure of the society.

3. Embrace Gospel values: Clothe yourself with heartfelt mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Live according to the Beatitudes, particularly embodying the call to be a peacemaker.

4. Actively promote peace in relationships: Foster peace with family members, friends, strangers, the poor, and the suffering by encountering them and listening to what they have to say. Promote dialogue as a means of building consensus and agreement, seeking a just, responsive, and inclusive society.

5. Work for justice: Recognise that peace for all is the fruit of justice for all. Seek the justice of the Kingdom in all that you do, so that in everything glory may be given to God.

6. Care for Creation: Cultivate peace with all creation by rediscovering the grandeur of God’s gift and our responsibility as inhabitants of this world.

7. Contribute to the common good: Engage in social dialogue to build consensus and work towards a just society.

Summary

Jesus’s greeting of peace after resurrection is the gift of Easter peace, made possible through his victory over sin and death, signifying a new creation, reconciliation, and the transformation of fear into joy.

• Bishop Reynaldo Bunyi Getalado msp of the Catholic Church