BE NOT AFRAID, MY PEACE IS WITH YOU.

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER. YEAR C.
April 15, 2007.
(First reading: Acts 5:12-16) (Second reading: Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19)
(Gospel: John 20:19-31).

BE NOT AFRAID,
PEACE BE WITH YOU.

Living in fear is like not living at all. Many people in our world live under some kind of fear which robes them of the substance of life.

Human beings fall prey to fear whenever they become aware that they have lost or are about to lose something or someone that is part of their very self. Every time there is a loss, the person experiencing such loss becomes diminished, fragmented; the person ceases to be who he is.

This is why the gospel tells us that the disciples of Jesus were fearful to the point that they had to lock the doors of the place they were in. They were experiencing fear because, in their understanding, they had lost Jesus who had previously being an integral part of themselves; the Lord had been taken away from them, they no longer were what they were when Jesus was with them. The disciples understood that the Lord had died and the lost was irreversible. Their fear, therefore, had become almost unbearable.

The fear experienced by the world.
Most of the greatest fears our world experiences are based not only on the threat of losing something good, but rather on the threat of losing the bad they are attached to, those elements which sustain an unjust and oppressive world.

This kind of fear is not only experienced by the individual person, but can also be experienced by a group or collectivity of individuals, say, a nation. Nations, especially the powerful ones, are most vulnerable to fear whenever they become aware that they may lose their earthly power, that is, the sort of power based on the oppression and subjugation they exert over their fellow human beings. Therefore, the more earthly power one has, the more prone is one of falling prey of fear.

Many a war throughout human history has originated from this kind of fear. The rivals try to destroy each other not so much because they want to defend a just social order but essentially because they do not want to be deprived of their own unjust ways. The fear that an unjust economic system, for instance, may be brought to an end is unbearable for those who rule over such a system. The oppressor is deadly afraid of losing his power and wealth.

The resurrection of the Lord brings an end to all fears.
Whether people are afraid of losing something good o something bad, the living Lord presents himself before our eyes so that we may believe that He, who truly died on the cross, is truly alive. He seems to be telling us: "If you think you have lost me, think again, touch my wounds, I am the same one who died on the cross and now am alive, do not be afraid, if I am with you my peace is with you".

The Acts of the Apostles describes the fear of having lost the Lord as a pervasive fear which overcomes people who, in spite of the wondrous signs performed by the apostles, "no one dared to join them". It took some time and abundant faith for the people of the world to believe that the Lord is alive, that the world of injustice, slavery and oppression has been defeated.

Because of the life of the Lord Jesus, manifested through the healing actions of the apostles "more and more people were added to the body of Christ".

Today, let us hear the Lord say through the Book of Revelation: "There is nothing to fear... I am the one who lives... Once I was dead but now I live forever and ever". The Lord is, therefore, saying that we are fully alive with him. He tells us "Do not be afraid, you have my peace, my justice, my mercy".