Peace Be With You

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Thursday in Easter Week 

Today's Readings:
[ Acts 3:11-26; Ps 8; Lk 24:36b-48 ]

In today’s readings, the Risen Christ stands among His disciples and says, “Peace be with you”. It is a simple greeting, but in the wake of fear, confusion, and failure, it is also a profound gift. This is not merely the absence of conflict—it is the restoration of relationship. The One whom they abandoned now comes not with judgment, but with peace.

From a Franciscan perspective, this moment resonates deeply. St. Francis of Assisi greeted others with “Pax et bonum”—peace and goodness—because he understood that true peace flows from reconciliation with God and with all creation. The risen Christ embodies this peace, not as an abstract idea, but as a living presence. He shows His wounds, not to accuse, but to heal. Even His scars become signs of mercy.

Peter’s words in Acts echo this same pattern. He speaks plainly, saying, “you rejected the Holy and Righteous One”, yet immediately proclaims hope: “Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out”. There is no denial of sin, but neither is there despair. In the light of the Resurrection, even our worst failures can become the starting point of renewal.

Psalm 8 draws us into wonder: “What are human beings that you are mindful of them?”. And yet, in Christ, we see just how mindful God is. The Creator enters creation, suffers within it, and rises to restore it. For Franciscan spirituality, this affirms the dignity of all creation—not just humanity, but the whole world touched by God’s love.

Today’s invitation is simple but not easy: receive the peace of Christ, and become a witness to it. 

Like the disciples, we are called to move from fear to proclamation, from guilt to grace. The risen Lord opens our minds, just as He opened theirs, to understand that love is stronger than death, mercy greater than sin, and peace more powerful than fear.

“Peace be with you.” Let that be not only what we hear, but what we become.

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