Hajja Salesjana

by Pamela Mandela Finding Peace in Hard Times The Gospel reading on Pentecost Sunday in Year A (John 20:19-23) calls us to reflect on how to find peace when faced with hard times. In this gospel narrative, the Lord’s disciples huddle behind closed doors for fear of the Jewish leaders. We recall that just three days before this, the disciples had abandoned the Lord and then witnessed the crucifixion. Some are anxious, stressed out, frightened, confused, or angry in this place where they have taken refuge. Others are uncertain, frustrated, deflated, sad, hopeless, disappointed, nervous, panicked, worried, or annoyed. I think of when I (or a friend) have ghosted another in their time of need. Imagining what I would do if the ghosted person suddenly appeared before me, I empathise with the disciples when they learn that the Lord they knew was dead has risen. I suppose the energy levels shift further up when the Lord Jesus suddenly appears in their midst – all the guilt, shame, and maybe fear comes to the fore. But, before they can react to His Presence, He says to them, “Peace be with you!” This overwhelming expression of the Lord’s unconditional love for his fearful disciples teaches us where to find peace when our hearts are in turmoil. God Is The Source Of Peace Our life presents situations that require us to have the ability to show unmerited forgiveness to those who offend and to share God’s peace. But often, we expect (and even start) a fight when things go contrary to what we want. What we fail to understand is that unconditional love enables us to find God’s peace, and God’s peace supersedes our hard times. But to find this peace, we must know its source. And finding this peace means experiencing the Lord as Peace. The Book of Judges records the only time in the Bible when God is called Jehovah Shalom (Judges 6.24), which translates as the Lord is Peace. The setting was a difficult time in the history of Israel when they lived under oppression by the Midianites. The learning point is that the Lord is Peace qualifies peace as a person, not a circumstance. In Hebrew, the word Shalom encompasses more than just peace. It means soundness, completeness, harmony, the absence of strife, wholesomeness, healthfulness, well- being, spiritual prosperity, and permanence. It means that we experience peace not because there is the absence of difficulty but because the Lord God is present with us in the difficulty we face. It is the Lord who lifts us from our places of self-condemnation. It is the Lord who cares the most about restoring us to peace. All this is because the Lord God is our Source of Peace. The Lord Jesus demonstrates how the offended initiates the reconciliation process with the offender. The gospel teaches that God reaches out to humanity through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ so that peaceful relations between God and humanity can be brought into effect. Top Photo by Samule Sun - Unsplash.com 24 Jannar-Marzu 2024 hajja