Peace Upon Our Troubled World

By Canice Njoku C.S.Sp

In a world where both the interior and exterior peace of its inhabitants is under constant threat by one form of chaos or the other, is there any hope for lasting peace? This reflection explores the impact of Jesus' gift of peace to his disciples during his post-resurrection visits in John 20:19""31. Importantly, it carefully evaluates the relevance of this visit to all living in today's challenging and chaotic world. This work reveals that peace is a gift from God and that Jesus' salutation ("Peace be with you"), which communicates much peace and liberates every troubled soul, is still very much re-echoed to all today. Hence, it is still relevant for the continuous restoration and sustenance of peace in both the individual and our entire world. Faith and humility are prerequisites for receiving the peace that Christ offers. Also, the Holy Spirit is a principal agent in humankind's search for lasting peace, and peace is not primarily a characteristic of happenings in the world but also a human attitude and a characteristic of all who have received it. The title of this little book speaks for itself. The peace that Christ offers is still very much needed in every soul and in our world at large. It is what our world lacks and needs most today, and this is what I present to you in this little book. This book consists of five chapters. Chapter one is the general introduction. Chapter two is a broad overview on peace. Chapter three is a brief analysis of John 20:19""20. The fourth chapter contextualizes Jesus' post-resurrection visit and the peace he offered. The final chapter is a brief summary and conclusion of the reflection. Peace be with you all. Amen!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098000905

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Peace Upon Our Troubled World

Canice C. Njoku, C.S.Sp

Copyright © 2019 by Canice C. Njoku, C.S.Sp

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter One: General Introduction

Chapter Two: An Overview on Peace

Chapter Three: A Brief Analysis of John 20:19–31

Chapter Four: Peace Upon Our Troubled World

Chapter Five: Summary and Conclusion

To my maternal grandparents of the blessed memory,

Mr. Christopher Maduakolam and Mrs. Bernadette Maduh

Preface

In a world where both the interior and exterior peace of its inhabitants is under constant threat by one form of chaos or the other, is there any hope for lasting peace? This reflection explores the relevance of Jesus’ gift of peace to his disciples during his post-resurrection visits in John 20:19–31 to our world in great need of lasting peace. Fortunately, John 20:19–31 is the Church’s gospel reading in the second week of Easter season.

This reflection carefully evaluates the impact of this visit on the disciples and its relevance to all living in today’s challenging and chaotic world. It reveals that peace is a gift from God and that Jesus’ salutation (Peace be with you), which communicates much peace and liberates every troubled soul, is still very much re-echoed to all today. Hence, it is still relevant for the continuous restoration and sustenance of peace in both the individual and our entire world.

Faith and humility are prerequisites for receiving the peace that Christ offers. The kingdom that Jesus preached is a kingdom of peace. It is eschatological and salvific, immanent and transcendent. So, Christians have a unique vocation and are specially endowed and called to transmit this peace to others. Jesus’ peace does not completely rule out the possibility of persecution but entails sacrifice, love, and service. The Holy Spirit is a principal agent in humankind’s search for lasting peace, and peace is not primarily a characteristic of happenings in the world but also a human attitude and a mark of all who have received it.

Also, peacemaking is not just a passive venture but an active process. It requires reaching out, speaking out, and doing something positive to help oneself and one’s world. So the peace that Jesus offers in John 20:19–31 is a typical model for all in our challenging and chaotic world. When properly harnessed and reflected upon, it will provide the fundamental faith that one requires to carry on with one’s life joyfully despite the turbulent and chaotic situations one faces daily in today’s world. The peace that Christ offers is a hope-raiser. Also, it is an eye-opener to all people of good will that turbulent times do not last forever and that what is required is a daily welcoming and believing in Jesus Christ who is ever-present in his sacraments.

This reflection has, perhaps, taken or waited too long before materializing into a full-blown book. It is actually a product of my thesis in Religion and Cultural Studies which was originally titled "The Relevance of Jesus’ ‘Peace be with You’ of the Gospel of John 20:19–31 for Christians in Today’s Chaotic World." Hmmm, what a long title! Hence, I have consciously revised and updated the entire work. I have also carefully modified the title. This is aimed at making it shorter and more comprehensible and meaningful to all my readers. It suffices to add that, although the title has been modified (or changed), one point remains very true. This is the fact that the peace that Christ offers is still very much relevant and needed in every soul and in our world at large. It is more durable than gold and not limited by time and space. It is what our world lacks and needs most today, and this is what I present to you in this little book.

This book consists of five main chapters. Chapter one is the general introduction. Chapter two is a broad overview on peace. Chapter three focuses on a brief hermeneutical analysis of John 20:19–20. This would be achieved through the use of the Greek and English translations of the text. This is simply meant to help readers have a very simple grasp of the right interpretation of the passage before finally contextualizing it. The fourth chapter is where we seek to contextualize Jesus’ post-resurrection visit and the peace he offered. This is simply aimed at highlighting the relevance of this visit and offer for us and our entire world. The fifth and final chapter is a brief summary and the conclusion of the reflection.

Peace be with you all. Amen!

Acknowledgments

Sincere gratitude to God for His grace, wisdom, and peace for this reflection.

Thanks and gratitude to all my lecturers and classmates at SIST, Enugu.

Thanks to all my readers.

Thanks to all who have genuinely received the peace that Christ offers and are genuinely transmitting it to