Sunday of Divine Mercy
Jn 20:19-31
April 16, 2023

Several years ago, I had to undergo a surgery that left a gaping wound on the top of my forehead. The surgical site required a great deal of care but was nearly impossible to deal with on my own. A nurse friend from the parish was generous enough to step forward to offer her expertise. Her commitment was truly an act of charity.

Time passed, and she became concerned that there was no evidence of healing. She made arrangements for me to be seen by a specialist. Again, I was blessed to be placed into the care of an exceptional healer. He rearranged his schedule in order to do a further procedure that very day. I left the hospital with a Band Aid, and after another day or two, no further care or treatment was necessary. I was healed! Only a slight scar remains.

On the rare occasion I even notice the scar, I honestly don’t think about the trauma of the initial procedure. What I do remember is the loving care that I was given by what have become two very special people in my life. When I do notice the scar, I say a prayer of gratitude for them…and for healing.

Considering the mind-blowing magnitude of Resurrection, it makes one wonder why The Risen and Glorified Christ appeared to the Apostles and disciples, still bearing the wounds of His Crucifixion. Themselves still severely wounded by the vivid memories of Good Friday, why remind them of the horror of The Crucifixion? The continued presence of The Sacred Wounds are definitely part of the Paschal Mystery.

We see in today’s Gospel that The Risen Lord used His still-present wounds as a means of establishing His identity to His incredulous followers. But possibly, there was an even more significant purpose. Is it possible that besides being proof of identity, these marks were also proof of power? Were these signs of cruelty which were transformed into symbols speaking to His complete victory over evil? No longer a reminder of the trauma and the brutality of Good Friday, The Sacred Wounds offered a demonstration of The Lord’s absolute power over sin and death.

Is it possible that the invitation to come into direct contact with The Sacred Wounds was intended to do more than resolve doubt? Was Jesus asking Thomas to reach in and be transformed through the Glorified Wounds so Thomas might come to believe in the power that was given to him through The Holy Spirit? The whole of this Gospel passage seems to be a call to all followers of Christ to continue the work The Master began…the work of caring for the wounds of others.

Everyone suffers from wounds…some that impact our physical health, but other wounds result from poor choices and bad decisions, from sin. These injuries threaten our emotional and spiritual well-being, sometimes severe enough that they require special wound care. Such injuries to mind and spirit can be of a nature that it is next to impossible to manage “wound care” alone. It is then that we must look to the charity of others for help. If, after a certain amount of time, there is no evidence of healing, we should then turn to the Sacramental ministry of our Church.

The Divine Mercy we celebrate this Second Sunday of the Easter Season is present in a very special way in the Sacraments which Jesus has left us for the purpose of “wound care.” And once we are healed, when we look at any faint scar which might remain, there is no need to recall the injury, but only give thanks for the healing that comes to us from the Risen Christ, The Lord of Mercy. For this, we should give thanks!