Jesus came and stood among the disciples where they were huddled together in shock and fear and wonder. He revealed himself to them with the comforting words: “Peace be with you.” He made it clear to them that he was not a ghost, that his resurrected body was real. Then, and only then, after they were convinced they were in the presence of the risen Lord, “he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.”

That is how the process of revelation works for us today. Christ Jesus comes where we are, in the midst of the chaos and confusions of our lives and makes his presence known to us. He comes bringing the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” (Phil.4:7) and then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he opens our minds to understand his word for us, our hearts to accept it, and strengthens our wills to live it out day by day.

We can read the Bible every day, but if we don’t recognize the presence of the Lord as we do so, we are wasting our time. The message God has for us goes right over our heads. We miss it because we are reading out of habit, or because we know we’re supposed to do it, or because we’re just reading to get it done, or because we’re in a hurry, or because we’re preoccupied with something else. In other words, our hearts aren’t in it; we’re just going through the motions. If we want the Word of the Lord to be revealed to us in all its fullness, in all its specificity for the circumstances of our lives, we have to be truly present, open to receive God’s message, and ready to act on what we hear.

The revelation of God’s word for us is grace, the free gift of God’s love. It comes with no strings attached, but as we experience the peace of God deep within and come to realize all the ways that God is moving in our lives, our hearts are grateful. We want to share the good news with others. We are ready to join the disciples in being witnesses to God’s overwhelming merciful and steadfast love here and now.