April 12, 2026, at Saint William Church in Naples, FL
Acts of the Apostles 2: 42-47 + Psalm 118 + 1 Peter 1: 3-9 + John 20: 19-31
There is a problem with these verses of John’s Gospel, and I am quick to admit that I have contributed to the problem over the years by focusing on Thomas. We like him – he’s a lot like us with his attitude and doubts. Remember, disbelief is not the only way to understand doubt. It can also mean hesitation, and I think that’s what’s going on here.
However, Thomas is not the focus of these verses. The risen Christ is why John tells this story, and what he says is a powerful message to us who understand that we have been given a mission. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” is not just a command given only to those in that room. It is a command to all of us, to the Church. We have been put in this world, in this faith, in this Church as peacemakers.
Understanding what “peace” looks like when Jesus speaks of it ought to make us a bit cautious giving us reason to take a deep breath. The peace Jesus offers has nothing to do with tranquility and harmony. The peace Jesus offers is what cost him his life. His peace invites the lion to see the lamb as a neighbor and friend, the Jew speak with the Samaritan, a prostitute dine with a Pharisee, a Democrat, Independent
and Republican enjoying dinner together, a Muslim and a Baptist at prayer in a Catholic Church. In other words, the peace that Jesus brings and insists that we spread is a new way of being in the world.
When we stop to think about it and examine what is asked of us, it becomes clear that we are not capable of doing this alone. The power of sin is simply too great. By ourselves, we always want to fit in, keep our social status and preserve our privilege and good name. All of this is threatened by the peace-making activity Jesus expects of us. We need help, and these verses reveal where and how that help will come: by the Holy Spirit. That is why he breathes on them. They can’t do it alone. It is a kind of Confirmation not unlike our own. So often the grace, the power, and the gift of the Holy Spirit is forgotten, ignored, and barely called upon.
It is not easy being a peacemaker in a world marked by war all over the place. It is not easy to be a peacemaker in a society that incarcerates a vast number of men and women and then forgets about them. It is not easy to be a peacemaker in a country where guns are prevalent and too many children’s lives are scared by violence at home, at school, and at play. Nevertheless, in the power of the Holy Spirit, Christian people can and do follow Jesus in this radical peacemaking work, trusting that Christ is working in us, and that the glimpses of peace we are given now and then stir our hopes and strengthen our resolve to continue until that day when Christ will come again to perfect his work and confirm the fullness of his peace.