Bishop Barron's Daily Gospel Reflection.

JOHN 20:19-23 Friends, in today’s Gospel, on the evening after his Resurrection, the Lord appeared to his disciples and greeted them, saying "Peace be with you."

According to the Gospel accounts, the risen Jesus typically did two things: he showed his wounds and he pronounced a word of peace. The wounds of Jesus are a continual and salutary reminder of our sin. The author of life appeared in our midst and we killed him, and this gives the lie to any attempt at self-justification or exculpation.

But the risen Lord never leaves us in guilt; instead, he speaks the word "Shalom," peace. This is the peace that the world cannot give, for it is the Shalom that comes from the heart of God.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul said, "I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." How does Paul know this? He knows it because we killed God, and God returned in forgiving love. He knows it because the enemies of Israel have been defeated.

With the events of the past three months, it's easy to get caught up in who are the good guys, the bad guys, who to cheer and who to be outraged at...I know, because I like to mix it up with lefties on their own message board (when they don't ban me outright).

However, in the end, this is a spiritual war. Our enemies and foes aren't flesh and blood, but those spirits and principalities of the air.

Say the best political thing happened for us this November- massive landslide win for Donald Trump, MAGA-GOP (not RINO GOP) filibuster-proof Senate and veto-proof majority, President Donald Trump appoints two-three more Conservative justices, they overturn Roe v Wade, Communist China collapses, America's unemployment rate goes back to below pre-Chinese Communist Party virus levels, true moderates and conservatives take over the Democrat party and offer a true patriotic alternative (where we can disagree and see good points or understand why they believe like they do) while the Marxist sewer rats who currently run it go to prison or exile in the Sudan, Hillary is sent to Gitmo, no voting unless you have two valid picture ID's and you or your spouse owns land.

All the above is wonderful and what we should attain to, but....does that save our soul? Does it make us better followers of Jesus Christ?

History changed when Christ showed up in the hidey-hole where the Disciples were cowering. Before Christ's appearance, they were cowardly and fearful that they were going to be taken away. After His appearance, they became bold, fearless proclaimers of the Gospel of Jesus, with none ever denying Christ and only one dying of natural causes.

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