By Fr Tomi Vattukulathil
“Peace be with you.”
These were the first words the risen Christ spoke to His disciples—frightened, confused, and locked away in fear.
Two thousand years later, this greeting still echoes with urgency. In an age marked by wars, conflicts, and deep human anxieties, the message of the risen Lord remains a steady anchor: peace is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of Christ who walks with humanity through every storm.
The values Jesus preached—compassion, forgiveness, justice, and love—are not abstract ideals.
They are the foundations of lasting peace and human dignity. In a world shaken by violence and division, these values are not only relevant; they are essential.
The resurrection is not merely a historical event but a living proclamation that death, sin, and suffering do not have the final word.
Christ rises to restore what fear tries to destroy.
This truth came alive in a simple yet profound encounter this week.
I visited a man who has been paralysed for years, confined to his bed and unable to speak clearly.
His body is frail, his movements limited, and his days marked by physical struggle. Yet even in that room of quiet suffering, something extraordinary unfolded.
We prayed beside him, entrusting his pain and his life to the gentle mercy of God.
Afterward, we began to sing a spiritual hymn. At first, the room was filled only with our voices. Then, slowly, a faint sound emerged – a vague, fragile voice joining the melody. It was his.
Though his speech is unclear and his strength small, he sang. Not loudly, not perfectly, but with a sincerity that touched everyone present.
In that moment, the peace of Christ was not a distant theological idea. It was visible, audible, and deeply real.
The name of Jesus brought calm to a suffering heart. His presence broke through the limitations of the body and filled the room with a quiet confidence that no illness could silence.
This is the power of the resurrection.
Jesus does not promise a life free from hardship, instead, He enters into human suffering and transforms it from within.
He breaks the chains that bind the human spirit – fear, despair, isolation – and replaces them with hope. His risen presence assures us that no situation is beyond redemption, no life beyond His reach.
As we navigate turbulent times, the greeting of the risen Christ is more than a comforting phrase.
It is a call to embody His peace in our homes, communities, and world. It invites us to be instruments of reconciliation, bearers of hope, and witnesses to a love stronger than death.
In every act of compassion, in every prayer whispered beside the suffering, in every moment when despair gives way to song, the resurrection continues. And Christ still speaks: “Peace be with you.”
