Suddenly he is among them. All that he represented to them had come to a violent end–and now he has returned. All they treasured had been ripped away, and now is with them again, beyond their understanding. “Peace to you,” he says, almost casually. “Why are you troubled?”*
As though he does not know. As though these past dreadful days have been only a small inconvenience. In their hiding place, they have been inundated by a flood of sorrow and fear as they have remembered–and tried not to remember–all that has happened.
“See my wounds?” Jesus asks. Don’t look away from what troubles you: don’t avoid what brings you pain. Come closer. “Touch me and see for yourselves—I am really here. Do you have anything to eat?”
So casual, this encounter—just a few old friends getting together to catch up on old times and have a bite to eat. It is an initiation ceremony. Earlier, he says they who have been servants are now friends; now, he calls them not only friends but witnesses. Witness my suffering, witness my death, witness my rising again. Witness a new way of peace.
–Kayla McClurg, Passage by Passage, Year B
- Do my wounds teach me about embracing life?
- What remains difficult for me to face and accept?
- How do I witness suffering, forgiveness and peace?
