“Peace” does not mean all will go easily for the disciples — or us — in the wake of Jesus’s death. “Peace” is not a false promise of security or a guaranteed end to all conflict. “Peace” is instead the deep essence of Jesus and his life, his love, and his joy.

The well-being of humanity has always been caught up with that of creation, because in the end, they are not two separate entities.

It is a way to make meaning; to understand our small place in a very big world as the tiny beloved people of a very grand God.

We also live in a culture where ethnicity and nationality and religion are often merged into one identity, which serves as a barrier meant to keep out others who are not only different, but deemed “less than.”