In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
1. Let us open our hearts to receive God’s Word
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.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (Jn 20, 19-23)
i. 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.”
To those locked in fear –
violence from the outside
failure and guilt on the inside –
the risen Lord, triumphant,
comes not with an air of superiority
but like water, quietly overflowing
blessing dry land with new life:
“Peace be with you!”
Pray:
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
ii. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
To those locked behind closed doors,
for whom all is lost
the present has no future
the past a mere burden,
to those discouraged and paralyzed by fear,
the Risen Lord grants
trust, movement, care
initiative, commitment, a future;
He gives the Spirit, coming from the Father and the Son:
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Pray:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
iii. he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them
To those who betrayed him
who preferred to run away rather than stay
He gives a share in His Spirit
the power, the highest form of love
that can draw open the armoured heart:
forgiveness
a generous love
a love for no other reason except the good of the other
a love that remains true to itself even when faced with the contrary.
Pray:
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
3. Our Father
Thanks to Fr Jimmy Bonnici for this reflection