““Peace be with you.”   When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.”  Today in our Gospel reading, Jesus reveals to the disciples the wounds that he has suffered in love.   There is much that is unique in the person of Jesus but he is not unique in his woundedness.  The risen Jesus carries wounds in his glorious body.  All of us carry wounds in our lives.  Unlike Jesus who immediately reveals his wounds to the disciples, most of us carry our wounds in secret.  We hide our woundedness, we are even embarrassed by the fact that we have allowed ourselves to be wounded.  For many people in our world today, the wounds that they are carrying in their lives are wounds that are untended and unhealed. 

     Sin wounds us.  Often the wounds that we bear in our lives are caused by our own sinfulness and selfishness.  Other times the wounds that we bear are caused by the sins of others that have abused us and hurt us in their selfishness.  Most people carry wounds that they have hidden and buried deep down in their souls.  These wounds are often untreated and continue to cause a person great pain and distress.  Untreated, these wounds begin to fester and the corruption of these wounds effects how the person relates to others in life.  Untreated wounds that have festered for many years can drain the life out of us.  When we have been wounded often in our lives we can become like the living dead.

     The fact that Jesus has been wounded is not unique to him but when he shows the disciples his wounds we see something truly unique, there is no corruption in these wounds.  We are told in scripture that the Father will not allow the Son to suffer the corruption of death.  The wounds of Jesus are not red and inflamed, they are not painful and causing him pain, they are not life threatening wounds.  The wounds of Jesus are clean, pure and radiate life and peace.  A Jewish person of Jesus’ time would never touch an open wound because it would make them unclean but touching the wounds of Jesus brings healing and wholeness to a person.  St. Thomas experiences this when he touches the wounds of Jesus and is healed of his unbelief.  Thomas moves from doubt to a pure act of faith in proclaiming, “My Lord and my God.”  In the beautiful prayer, the Anima Christi, we pray, “within thy wounds hide me”.  We find in the wounds of Jesus a beautiful refuge of peace and healing.  From the wounded side of Jesus the Gospel tells us and the Church bears witness to a river of Divine Mercy flowing out.  The rays of Divine Mercy that flow forth from the side of Christ bathe the sinner in mercy and heal the wounds of sin and the corruption of death. 

     Sin wounds us but mercy heals those wounds.  Popular songwriters have written in their songs that “love hurts” and “love lies bleeding” and “love cuts like a knife” and even speak of “tainted love”.  Selfish, self-centered, carnal love is like that but merciful love bears none of those characteristics.  Merciful love heals and strengthens and is life-giving to the person that receives it.  When the disciples see the beautiful wounds of mercy that Jesus bears they are filled with joy.  We do not need to have any fear of the wounds that are suffered in mercy.  The wounds of mercy do not bring corruption but rather mercy’s suffering purifies the soul and strengthens it in life.

     We are the blessed “who have not seen and have believed.”  We believe in the Divine Mercy of God, in the unfathomable ocean of mercy that is available to us through faith because we have believed in the power of mercy to transform our wounds into a genuine faith.  The glorious wounds of Jesus give us, “a new birth to a living hope” that mercy can transform our wounds, the wounds of our hearts and souls, all of our suffering, into something glorious.  Our sorrows and pains, when bathed in the light of mercy, can be a source of sanctification and joy for us.  On this Divine Mercy Sunday, let us look into the wounds of our Lord and believe in his incomprehensible mercy and love for us.  May we always entrust our lives to his merciful love.