He Never Leaves Us

“…The human spirit is the meeting place of two worlds -- the worlds of time and of eternity, of heaven and earth. Even though we look for ways of excusing ourselves, we know that good and evil have their final reckoning in our conscience. The Conqueror of sin and death desires to break through all the barriers that we have set up and enter into the depths of our being so as to fill us with His peace. Just as He did with His disciples who were crouched in hiding, Jesus comes to us and says, "Peace be with you." The account of Jesus’ appearance shows the close connection between fear, locked doors, the Holy Spirit, peace, believing, and the Person Jesus Christ coming through our fears and insecurities. Our faith is in the Risen Lord. When we choose not to believe in Jesus, we are actually locking ourselves behind closed doors, afraid of what we can neither understand nor control.”
~Jerome Machar
(see Luke 24:36-48)

“Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.”
~Saint Augustine