Easter Message from Rev. Msgr. Stephen Salocks '80, Rector
On behalf of the seminarians, faculty, and staff of Saint John’s Seminary, I wish you and your families a blessed and joyful Easter!
One of the most striking Gospel accounts of the Resurrection is the moment our Risen Lord first appeared to his disciples in the upper room in the 20th chapter of John’s Gospel.
Overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty, the disciples were joined by Jesus on the evening of that first Easter, and his first words to them were “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). The doors may have been locked and the disciples fearful, grieving, and doubtful, but the Risen One took the initiative to meet them where they were. Physical restraints will not prevent Jesus’ ability to be with his disciples.
Jesus’ greeting of Peace lies at the heart of the Easter proclamation! Risen from the dead and triumphant over sin, death, and all that alienates us from God and one another, Jesus brings his peace to his disciples. Christ’s peace is more than the absence of hostility and war. The peace of Christ is the abundance of God’s mercy and forgiveness. It is the peace of healing and comfort, reconciliation, and right relationship that God has brought about through the death and resurrection of his Son.
- Christ’s gift of peace at Easter is the fulfillment of the divine gift of peace that was promised often in the Old Testament for the coming of the Messiah – days of peace, deliverance and joy.
- Christ’s Easter gift of peace at Easter is the fulfillment of the promise Jesus himself made just a few days earlier at the Last Supper, when he said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27).
- Christ bestows his Easter gift of peace to us every time we celebrate the Eucharist as we prepare to offer the sign of peace to one another just before we receive Holy Communion.
On the first Easter, after they saw and recognized the wounds on our Lord’s hands and side, the disciples’ fear gave way to joyful faith. But that was only the beginning. Repeating his greeting of “Peace be with you,” Jesus made it clear that he brings and gives peace that the world cannot give.
Through his passion, death, and resurrection Jesus blesses us with the fullness of God’s peace. But this is not a peace that we can keep and enjoy entirely for ourselves. Jesus’ gift of peace is for mission in the world. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). Jesus speaks not only to the disciples then, but also to disciples now – to you and to me. Receiving the gift of God’s peace and the Holy Spirit that Jesus breathes on his disciples, we are empowered to go into the world to proclaim and share God’s peace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Aware of the mission the Risen Lord gives us, all of us here at Saint John’s Seminary rejoice with you in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We join our prayers to yours to the Risen Lord, Prince of Peace for an end to war and for peace to spread throughout our world. We pray that the love, joy, and peace of the Holy Spirit that Christ breathes on us will be more and more manifest in our lives and make us more effective proclaimers of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
May the peace and blessings of the Risen Christ be with you this Easter!
Happy Easter!
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