Suggested Emphasis
"He showed them his hands and his side."
Salesian Perspective
Following Jesus' crucifixion, the apostles were hiding behind locked doors because they were afraid. Being identified as followers of Jesus, their fear and anxiety was, to say the least, understandable and prudent.
Yet, despite being locked away, in the midst of their fears, Jesus breaks into their lives: not merely into the physical place in which they had taken refuge, but into the core of their hearts. He attempts to calm their fears. He challenges them to be at peace by showing them his hands and his side. Given the horrible wounds visible in both places, that is quite a strange way to dispel their anxiety and grief.
Despite the power and glory of the resurrection, Jesus still bore the legacy of pain, disappointment, rejection, humiliation, suffering and death on his body. But herein lay the promise and the hope that Jesus offers: pain, suffering and loss, notwithstanding the scars that they leave, need not be the last word for those who believe in the love of God.
St. Francis de Sales wrote: "We must often recall that our Lord has saved us by his suffering and endurance and that we must work out our salvation by sufferings and afflictions, enduring with all possible forbearance the injuries, denial and discomforts we meet." (Introduction to the Devout Life, Pt III, Chap 3)
All of us have experienced pain and suffering. All of us bear the wounds of failure, betrayal, deception, disappointment, and loss. Our hearts, our minds, our memories - our souls - have the scars to prove it. Out of fear of being hurt further, like the apostles, we sometimes lock ourselves away in some small emotional or spiritual corner of the world, living in fear of what other pain or disappointments life may bring in the days, months and years ahead. We withdraw from life: in effect, we die, with no hope of resurrection.
Jesus shows us that while we, too, have been wounded by life, the scars or pain, rejection, misunderstanding and mishap do not have to have the last word. We may, indeed, be permanently affected by things both unfortunate and unfair, but these need not rob us of the power and promise of recovery, of renewal - of resurrection - unless we turn to despair, unless we allow ourselves to be defeated by the nails of negativity, by the lance of loss.
The scars of our humanity are a part of our past. The scars of our humanity are a part of our present. They need not, however, determine the course of our future. Besides, let's keep things in perspective. St. Francis de Sales remind us: "Look often on Christ, crucified, naked, blasphemed, slandered, forsaken, and overwhelmed by every kind of weariness, sorrow and labor."
Jesus not only survived - he thrives. His faith, his passion, his resilience and his love, indeed, had the last word in his life. Won't you let them have the same in yours?
Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is the Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center.
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