While priests have a few different options for how they greet people at the beginning of Mass, the bishop has only one greeting available for him to use: “Peace be with you.”
Of course, this is a translation of the Latin text, which reads “Pax vobiscum” and is itself inspired by the greeting Christ gives to the Apostles when they are gathered in the Upper Room as seen in St. John’s Gospel. In choosing these words for the bishop’s greeting at Mass, the Church is tapping into a rich spiritual theology that merits our careful consideration, especially as it relates to Divine Mercy Sunday on which a passage of the Gospel according to John is read each year.
When the Lord greets the Apostles in their locked quarters — huddled in fear and unsure of the reports of the resurrection — these words of peace must surely have made a major impact upon them. The Greek text of St. John’s Gospel is formulated as “Eirene humin” and is interesting in that it conveys a depth of meaning that can easily be lost in our English translations of this passage. The Lord’s words are spoken in the present tense so that they indicate not merely a wish for some future reality, but convey the idea that peace is already with the Apostles. Far from just a simple greeting, the Lord is fulfilling the promise of peace at that very moment and creating for the Apostles a state of tranquility that is ongoing and habitual.
The Church’s instruction for bishops to use the same greeting as Christ not only helps to illustrate that the bishops share in the fullness of Christ’s sacramental powers, but also that through his ministers, Christ continues to bring the same peace that was present in the Upper Room to all of us today.
As the recipients of Christ’s peace, which is a fruit of the Lord’s mercy, we must therefore have the courage to follow the example of the Apostles on how to use this peace for the good of others. The Apostles did not stay locked up in the Upper Room but allowed this greeting of peace to embolden them to go forth and proclaim the good news of salvation. In the Acts of the Apostles reading, we hear that the Apostles performed signs and wonders among the people and were esteemed by the crowds who were then drawn to faith. In a world that is marked by division, suspicion, resentment and fear in so many ways, the Christian faithful have a duty to share the same peace that Christ brings to his Apostles in the Upper Room.
On this Divine Mercy Sunday and throughout the Easter season, we can each be deliberate witnesses to the peace that comes from the resurrected Christ. Steering conversations away from gossip, helping an elderly neighbor plant a garden, listening patiently to a friend who is overwhelmed by work, or helping a loved one break an addiction are just a few ways that we can help people encounter Christ’s peace. The mercy of God is a gift to be shared and in doing so, the Lord’s peace becomes a reality in our world. By our witness to hope, our practice of charity, and our commitment to faith, we can join the psalmist in saying “His mercy endures forever” and help others to do the same.
Father Meyers is pastor of Transfiguration in Oakdale.
Sunday, April 20
Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of the Lord
