Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
One day, according to the story, Satan appeared to Saint Teresa of Avila disguised as the risen Christ. But she saw through the ruse.
“How did you know it was me?” Satan asked.
Teresa replied, “Because you have no wounds.”
It’s the wounds.
After the resurrection, the disciples hiding in the upper room did not at first react when they saw the risen Christ appear to them and say, “Peace be with you.” No reaction from the disciples.
“When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20). Upon seeing his hands and his side, the disciples recognized the risen Christ. It was the wounds.
Thomas the disciple was away and missed the appearance of the risen Lord. When the others told them they had seen him, Thomas insisted, “Unless I see the wounds in his hands and feet and side and touch them, I will not believe.”
Why did Thomas insist on seeing and touching the wounds? He was no fool. One might fake a look-alike Jesus come back from the dead. But you could not fake the wounds.
Resurrected and standing before Thomas, Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side” (John 20:27).
Seeing the wounds of Jesus, Thomas came to believe. He made the great profession of faith, “My Lord and my God.” The wounds made him a believer.
“Behold the Lamb of God,” the priest says just before communion, “who takes away the sins of the world.” Through his crucifixion, Jesus became the new Paschal Lamb. Suffering became salvation. Good Friday has become the way to Easter Sunday. The wounds of Christ became the way of salvation.
“By his wounds you have been healed,” the first letter of Peter tells us (1 Pt 2:24). It is a paradox. How do wounds heal another? How do the wounds in the hands and feet and side of the Lord Jesus heal us of our sins? Such is the nature of love.
Blessed Easter!
Father David
NATIVTY UPDATES
Bring a rosary to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. There will be a time of prayer from 3pm to 4pm in the church on Divine Mercy Sunday. https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet
The Catholic bishops along the border of the United States and Northern Mexico have issued a joint statement on the situation at the border of the two countries. Inform your conscience with their comments. https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/situation-us-mexico-border
The next Alpha evening is Tuesday, April 13. We start the evening with dinner (delicious and free!) followed by a video on this week’s topic, “Who is Jesus?” The second half of the evening is talking in tables about the topic. About forty folks came to the April 6 gathering. If you missed April 6, come anyway. No commitment, just come and see. No sign up, just show up. Bring your wingman, 6:30-8:30pm in the Parish Center. Check out a 3-minute video at https://nativity.org/alpha.
