Gospel in Art: Jesus said 'Peace be with you!'

In a Church, by Alexei Danilovich Kivshenko, 1881 © Sotheby's London, 2/06/2015

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 14 April 2024
Luke 24:35-48

The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread.

They were still talking about all this when Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you!' In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, 'Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.' And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.

Then he told them, 'This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms has to be fulfilled.' He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, 'So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.'

Reflection on the painting

In our Gospel reading we hear how the disciples share the story of what happened on the road to Emmaus. Then suddenly, Jesus appears to them again. The first words Jesus says are 'Peace be with you!' This is what he says most often when he appears after the Resurrection. Jesus wouldn't say these words over and over again if they didn't have a deep significance.

Firstly Jesus said these words to calm the disciples who were in a state of alarm and fright upon seeing Jesus again. But Jesus meant something far deeper than just a mere call to calm down. Remember, the disciples had largely abandoned Jesus during his Passion. So when Jesus says 'Peace be with you', it shows he has forgiven them, and that they and Jesus now must move on and work together to bring the Good News to the world. It is this peace, and the forgiveness it holds, that will make them preach to all the nations.

These are the same words we use at Mass too, 'Peace be with you'. When we attend Mass, we all come with our worries and troubles, and so when the priest says 'Peace be with you', the priest is saying in persona Christi that it is ok that we are there with our restless hearts, but we must now fully trust Jesus and place everything in his hands during Mass. This is also what we tell each other when we exchange the sign of peace. It is an exchange of commitment to our faith and the bond that we share.

Our painting by Russian artist Alexei Kivshenko was painted in 1881. It simply depicts people sitting in church. A father, grandmother and son are on the front bench. At some stage they will exchange with each other the words 'Peace be with you', uniting themselves to all the other people depicted in church. Our faith is a communal faith.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-24-35-48-2024-2/
Competition: The Laudamus Award 2024 for Sacred Art - www.indcatholicnews.com/news/4931