"Receive the Holy Spirit"

 In today's Gospel, John 20: 19-31, on the evening of the first day of the week,  following Jesus' resurrection from the dead, the disciples had locked themselves in a building out of fear of the Jews. Would the leaders of the Jews seek them out and put them to death as they did Jesus was their fear.  All of a sudden the Risen Lord appears in the locked room--no one had unlocked the door but there was their Master. He says to them: "Peace be with you!" And he shows them his pierced hands and side. the disciples are all excited. Jesus then says again:  "'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.'  and when he has said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'"

Imagine that morning!  Afraid of the Jews, these disciples have locked themselves away from the public and, suddenly, there stands in front of them Jesus. Wow! The words of the psalmist are fulfilled: "I will turn their sadness into joy!" But God does more than that: He changes their fear into courage and their weakness into power! Jesus does not come to them emptyhanded, nor does He to us!  He comes with peace: "Peace be with you!" He comes with a purpose: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you!" And He comes with power: "Receive the Holy Spirit." God never asks us to do something without giving us the means to do it!

Thank You, Lord!