Volume 23 Issue 5
May 2026
Peace be with you
Jn 20:19
The most important words spoken by the risen Jesus when he appeared to his disciples on the evening of the first day of the week were“Peace be with you” (Jn 20:19). These words were so important that he repeated them:“Peace be with you” (Jn 20:21). A week later when his disciples were again inside a room with locked doors for fear of the Jews and Thomas was present, Jesus said the same words for the third time:“Peace be with you” (Jn 20:26).
Three Gifts of the Risen Lord
In Jn 20:19-23 Jesus gives us three gifts: (a) the gift of divine peace; (b) the gift of a holy mission; and (c) the gift of spiritual power.
The Gift of Divine Peace
The gift of divine peace. Three times Jesus greets the fearful disciples with“Peace be with you.” This is more than a simple greeting. It is the divine gift of a peace the world cannot provide. It is a peace rooted in reconciliation with God and the assurance of salvation. The risen Lord brings peace to us. We do not have to find peace on our own. Now glorified, Jesus reminds us that our peace was bought at the cost of his suffering and death. He assures us that he understands our human pain because he experienced it. But because of our anxiety and fear, we hide in our own “locked rooms”. But Jesus does not wait for us to find courage. He enters the very place where we cower in fear to offer his presence. He thus teaches us that his peace is not just the absence of conflict but a wholeness that allows us to flourish even in uncertain times.
The Gift of a Holy Mission
The gift of a holy mission. Jesus commissions his disciples by saying,“As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (Jn 20:21). While the disciples are hiding in fear, Jesus miraculously enters into their locked room to turn them into sent witnesses. He gives them, but also us, a mission. He gives us grace, forgiveness and peace and urges us to extend them to others. He commands us to adopt his mission of love and service and proclaim the kingdom of God. He wants not merely to end our fears, but to direct them outward to enable us to continue his work of reconciliation in the world. We are therefore not just “saved” for ourselves. We are “sent”. Our mission is to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We are asked to reflect his love and grace to a broken world. This mission is made possible because Jesus first shows us his scars, reminding us that transformation often comes through sacrificial love.
The Gift of Spiritual Power
The gift of spiritual power. Jesus breathes on the disciples,“Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22). This act mirrors God breathing life into humanity as described in the Book of Genesis. Jesus’ action signals a “new creation” where believers are empowered with divine authority to forgive sins. Jesus delegates the authority to forgive sins to his disciples: Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained (Jn 20:23). But they are not left to fulfill this task by their own strength. The Holy Spirit is the “Advocate” who provides the internal power, bravery, and wisdom, which are essential to the ministry of forgiveness, setting others free from the weight of sin and unbelief.
A Personal Experience of Divine Peace
The gift of divine peace. We just spent three days in our hometown in Unisan, Quezon, where we have a house in town, and two days in our coconut farm in Maysasa in the barrio of San Roque. The relocation survey was ongoing to plot the exact coordinates and boundaries of the farm. We also hired ten men for three days to clear the farm of weeds, woody brush, and undergrowth. With us were a couple who had expressed interest in purchasing our coconut farm of almost three hectares.
Seeing again the freshwater spring (now with a shallow well), brought into memory that I was born over 80 years ago in a small nipa hut not far from this spring.
My parents told me that when I entered Grade 1 at the age of 4.5 years, we moved from this farm to a house in front of the school building with only one classroom for Grades 1 and 2. The family photo above on the right was taken in front of this school, which still stands today although dilapidated.
Whenever I visit this farm, I feel a great deal of nostalgia and peace as if Jesus himself has said to me, “Peace be with you.” I remember the innocence of my youth: observing my father unhusk the coconut and cutting it open while I wait for the sweet “tubo” to eat; walking with my father who guides the carabao pull the sled containing sacks of copra for delivery to buyers in town; and learning from my mother who was my Grade 1 teacher. How I wish to relish once again the kind of peace that naturally permeates this coconut farm.
Living Out the Holy Mission
The gift of holy mission. During the past five years, we held two gift-giving events for the poor families in San Roque, giving out cash, food packs, and used but usable clothes and other household items. We felt being sent on mission by the Lord to help those who have less in life.
We feel the same way towards the couple interested in buying our farm. An important component of their plan is to establish what they call “The Way of the Rosary in the Garden of Mary” and build a “Chapel of the Twin Hearts.” We are certain they have been sent on mission by the Lord to promote devotion to the Blessed Mother who always leads us to her Son, Jesus.
Exercising Spiritual Power Through Forgiveness
The gift of spiritual power. But as in all spiritual warfare, the evil one generates opposition and conflict. The owners of the land surrounding our farm are asking for an unreasonably high price for the right of way (ROW) for the access road from the concrete municipal road to our coconut farm. The asking price is 20 times the per square meter price of our coconut farm! This greedy attitude and seeming attempt to extort and take advantage of the buyer’s strong desire to acquire the farm is shocking. But we understand their attitude and forgive their seeming abusive greed. We plan to meet them face-to-face and negotiate a more reasonable price. With forgiveness and understanding, and most of all with prayer and the Blessed Mother’s intercession, we are confident to arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement. And with God’s gift of spiritual power, we wish the landowners, “Peace be with you.”
