4/19/20: 2nd Sunday of Easter: The Healing Power of Forgiveness (a.k.a. The Wisdom of Dolly Parton)

When Jesus appears in the locked Upper Room with the disciples, it is the first time that they are encountering him since they abandoned him and fled at the time of his passion. His first words to these so-called friends? "Peace be with you." This word of peace is a word of restoration of relationship -- a word of forgiveness. It restores joy to the disciples. On this Divine Mercy Sunday we reflect on the gift of God's forgiveness and the healing power that forgiveness has in our own lives.