To meditate on the Passion, we can take up St Claire of Assisi’s invitation to enter into the torn chest of Christ crucified. To be inundated with the light of the Resurrection, we can follow Christ’s offer to his disciple Thomas, to put his hand into his side, and to believe! (Caravaggio has immortalized that moment for us-see the photo at the beginning of this reflection).
Easter is almost over, but the joy of Easter will always be fresh as on Easter Sunday!
Progression of Faith and Spirit
The Mass readings during Easter season present the evolution of the faith of the disciples. Paradigmatic moments of this development are the narrative of the apparitions of the risen Christ to the Apostles, to the disciples of Emmaus, and the faith seeking understanding of the early Church. Emmaus is a great example of the transformation experienced by the disciples. They went from sadness and disappointment to vision, to a renewed faith, and finally mission as they returned to tell the other disciples that they had seen the risen Lord; and eventually to fulfill the Lord’s mandate to baptize all nations. Their mission is a continuation of their faith and it takes place in faithfulness to Christ’s words.
These passages teach us that there is a spiritual progression, or a process of transformation in the lives of the disciples and of this entire new Christian community. They connected the meaning of suffering and death with the resurrection as an essential component. Now they go out and teach and baptize all nations… The two sides of this coin cannot be separated: that is, the death from the resurrection as it is evident when, after the resurrection, our Lord showed his wounds to his disciples… No less emblematic, then, is the story of doubting Thomas. His doubt was not only for his benefit, but also for our faith. It did not seem apt that Christ was risen with open wounds and scars, which seem to indicate corruption and defect. Are they not against the integrity of his body…?
Scars of Glory
Apparently not, as Christ may have used them as a trophy to manifest his victory over death. They are not deformed, there is certain dignity in them, and even beauty! Through these wounds Christ confirms the faith of his disciples; they remind us of the sort of death he endured and are a clear sign of his love and mercy for us. It is obvious, then, that these scars do not belong to corruption or death, they take us to the greater beauty of his glory. Saint Leo the Great says that Thomas, not only saw, but handled the wounds: “It sufficed for his personal faith for him to have seen what he saw; but it was on our behalf that he touched what he beheld”.[1]
Let us then, not forget the wounds of the risen Savior. Let us enter spiritually into his side and bodily wounds, which convey the beauty of his glory. They are a reminder of his Passion and of our future resurrection.
May the joy of Easter continue to fill your minds and hearts.
[Readings: Acts 25:13b-21; Jn 21:15-19]
[1] For more details see St Thomas Aquinas: STh 3 54 Article 4. Whether Christ’s body ought to have risen with its scars?
