Wounds are something that we all receive at some time during our lives. We can receive them through surgery, and even in the process of giving birth. We often talk about “broken heartsâ€, in reference to love affairs that have gone wrong. Cardinal Armand Richelieu, the famous 17th Century statesman, thought that “Wounds inflicted by the sword heal more easily than those inflicted by the tongue.â€
Wounds are central to today’s Gospel reading. What makes Christ real for Thomas is the reality of His suffering, represented by His wounds.
The authentic risen Christ, for Thomas, must still bear the marks of His real, earthly life, a life marked by suffering as well as by miracles and joy. There is always a temptation to imagine Christ the way to see Him, rather than as He is Himself. A Jesus unmarked by suffering, who has not confronted sin and death, is not the real Christ. Jesus retains the wounds humanity inflicted on Him, precisely to remind us what we are capable of, and to show how much He loves us. His wounds become the source of our healing.
By living a sacramental life in the Church, we become more and more like our wounded Savior. We learn to appreciate more our own woundedness and the wounds that others have received. We begin to recognize our own need for healing. Perhaps we can ask forgiveness from someone we have hurt, or gently try to reconcile others who are at odds.