In these weeks following Easter, we hear about the appearance of the resurrected Lord to the disciples. While the Gospels of Luke and John focus on his appearance in Jerusalem, the Gospels of Mark and Matthew point to His appearance in Galilee. In today’s reading from Luke, the disciples are gathered in the “upper room” in Jerusalem obviously sad, dejected and perhaps angry that they had given up everything to follow Jesus in a doomed mission. Then Jesus appears in their midst, declaring “Peace be with you”. A very strange greeting of reassurance and forgiveness for these same disciples who had abandoned Jesus to suffer and die alone. Yet, here He is bringing peace and comfort to this huddled group who fear they’re seeing a ghost. To reassure them He is not a ghost, He shows them the wounds on his hands and feet. He even eats a piece of fish with them. As with the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus after the crucifixion, Jesus opens their minds to understand that the prophecies of the scriptures have all been fulfilled in Him. Jesus is truly “walking” them back to faith. They are now beginning to understand that Jesus is the true Messiah, the Son of God. They finally came to believe what He had told them and shown them so many times during His ministry. In our lives 2000 years later there are many times when we too feel isolated, sad, full of anger or fear. We, too, may feel that God has abandoned us, left us in our “upper room” to fend for ourselves. But not so! The resurrected Christ is there for us too, just as He was for His disciples. Jesus doesn’t come in human flesh to eat fish with us, but He is truly with us always in the Holy Spirit. He wants us to be at peace and fear not because He always walks beside us. He is with us when He opens our mind to read Holy Scripture. He is with us in all the Sacraments, most abundantly in the Holy Eucharist. He is with us when we pray. So let each of us be as amazed and joyful as were these disciples to find Jesus always in our midst as we journey forward this Easter Season. And may we never forget, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age,” (Mt 28: 20).