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Touch My Wounds and Believe
Where We Are
Alleluia! Thursday within the Easter Octave continues the pattern of Resurrection encounters. Yesterday the disciples at Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread; today, the evangelist Luke shows us the Risen Lord appearing to the gathered community in Jerusalem. The disciples are startled and frightened, thinking they see a ghost. Jesus invites them to touch his wounds and eats a piece of broiled fish before their eyes, proving that his Resurrection is bodily, tangible, and real. In Acts, Peter preaches at The Temple portico after the healing of the lame man, calling the people to repentance and announcing that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has glorified his servant Jesus.
The Word
Peter preaches boldly in The Temple portico, insisting the power that healed the lame man came through faith in the name of Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One. "You killed the Author of life," Peter declares, "but God raised him from the dead, and of this we are witnesses." He calls them to repentance so that their sins may be wiped away. In Luke's Gospel, while the Emmaus disciples are still telling their story, Jesus himself stands among them: "Peace be with you." They are terrified, thinking he is a spirit. Jesus says, "See my hands and my feet. Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones." He shows his wounds, and when they still cannot believe for joy, he asks for food and eats a piece of fish before them.
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Reflect
The Resurrection is not an escape from the body; it is the body's glorification.
This is one of the most important truths the Easter Octave teaches us. When Jesus appears to his disciples, he does not come as a disembodied spirit or a luminous vision. He comes with wounds they can touch and an appetite for broiled fish. The marks of the cross remain on his risen body, not as scars of defeat but as signs of love that endures beyond death.
Luke's detail about Jesus eating fish is not incidental. It is a deliberate statement against any understanding of the Resurrection that would reduce it to a metaphor or a spiritual experience. The early Christians insisted, sometimes against the prevailing philosophy of their Greco-Roman world, that matter matters. The body is not a prison the soul escapes; it is a temple the Spirit inhabits and will one day raise to glory.
Notice also the disciples' reaction: they "could not believe for joy." This is a beautiful paradox. Their joy is so overwhelming that it actually becomes an obstacle to faith. They are not doubting out of cynicism; they are doubting because what they see is too good to be true. Have you ever experienced something so wonderful that you could not quite believe it was real? That is Easter faith struggling to be born.
Peter's sermon in Acts is equally remarkable for its directness. He does not soften the message. "You killed the Author of life," he says, and then immediately offers mercy: "Repent and your sins will be wiped away." This is the pattern of the Gospel: truth and grace together, never one without the other.
Living It
The Risen Christ bears his wounds. This means that your wounds, your suffering, your scars are not obstacles to resurrection but potential sites of glory. Today, instead of hiding the places where life has marked you, bring them to Jesus in prayer. Ask him to transform them into signs of his love, just as his own wounds became proof of his identity. If you know someone who is struggling to believe because life has been too painful, share with them the image of Jesus eating fish with his friends. The Resurrection is not ethereal; it is as real as bread, as tangible as a piece of broiled fish on a table among friends.
Prayer
Risen Lord, you stood among your frightened disciples and said, "Peace be with you." Speak that peace into our hearts today. When we doubt, show us your hands and your feet. When our joy is so overwhelming that we can hardly believe, open our minds to understand. You ate with your friends after rising from the dead; be present at our tables and in our ordinary meals. Transform our wounds into testimonies of your love. We touch you and believe. Alleluia. Amen.
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