Today’s Gospel is an account of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. This account is very different from the other accounts in the Gospels. Jesus makes another appearance. He welcomes his disciples with the call to Peace. I want to point out that Jesus said this to the disciples who were afraid, the doors were locked, they had isolated themselves out of fear.
Fear can lead us to abandon our values, goals and convictions; leading us to behaviours that normally would not happen. In a way causing us to feel shut down. I want to point out that after receiving the Holy Spirit the disciples were fearless, actively preaching the good news when before they lived in secret.
People who are courageous or have done courageous acts can still be afraid. They have learned how to handle their fear to prevent them from being shut down. So, going back to the disciples, they were likely still afraid for their lives, but the Spirit gave them courage to move forward.