Divine Mercy: The Happy Priest Reflects on the Wounds of Jesus and Our Wounds

4/16/2012

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"My Lord and my God." Thomas is able to encounter Jesus in all of his humanity and all of his divinity. He comes to grasp the reality that the risen Jesus is the same Jesus that died on Calvary.

But, where is the risen and wounded Jesus? Where can we encounter him? As Jesus hung on the cross, all of his blood flowed from his wounds. The eternal reminder of his wounds reminds us that we are to experience him in the Eucharist and in the Sacrament of Confession.

By coming to Jesus every day at Mass, for visits and adoration; by encountering the God of mercy through the awesome gift of the sacrament of forgiveness, we can dispel the despair, the discouragement and the fear that may fill our lives.

It is in the Eucharist that we encounter peace because we truly encounter the Lord. We need to bring our wounds to the risen and wounded Jesus every day in the Eucharist. It is there, at the tabernacle, that his wounds will heal us.

On this feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, let us remember the words that Blessed John Paul II wrote in his second encyclical letter: "Believing in the crucified Son means 'seeing the Father,' means believing that love is present in the world and that this love is more powerful than any kind of evil in which individuals, humanity, or the world are involved. Believing in this love means believing in mercy. For mercy is an indispensable dimension of love; it is as it were love's second name and, at the same time, the specific manner in which love is revealed and effected vis-a-vis the reality of the evil that is in the world, affecting and besieging man, insinuating itself even into his heart and capable of causing him to perish in Gehenna" (Dives in Misericordia).

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Father James Farfaglia is the Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, TX. Visit him on the web to learn more about his books, homilies and audio podcasts.

*Wounds that Heal was written by Deacon Fournier way back in 1992, before he was even ordained a deacon. Though out of print, copies can still be found.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Sunday homily, Easter, Father James Farfaglia, Christian hope, Easter joy

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

JUDE DESOUZA
1 year ago
We need eyeopening articles like this one. At a time when this world is full of dstress and pain. Do enlighten further

Regards
Fr. James Farfaglia
1 year ago
Friends:
Many thanks for your comments. I am glad that this Sunday's homily reflection was helpful and inspiring. You can listen to the audio podcast version of this homily by going to by website at www.fatherjames.org.
God bless
Judy
1 year ago
What a reflection! Thank you. Easter Blessings...
Elizabeth Dee Hollier
1 year ago
God Bless you Fr. James Farfaglia.
abey
1 year ago
By his stripes we are healed, even unto the belief of St. Thomas that it was the same Jesus who has risen, however there were two reasons as to why he had to go to the Father for one is to the Glory & the other is to ask of The Father to send the Holy Spirit as the helper. The word Glory again means the clouds of Heaven which is the Fire by night & Cloud by day, Christ from His preexistence as the Lord from heaven, was born as man, died & risen back to the Glory, for His coming back will be in the Same Glory, his everlasting state, for no man can stand before The Glory which is of The Father called "Shekinah" & it is to this that Archangel Gabriel says of the manner as 'I am one who stands before God" meaning before the Glory. Another state of Jesus Christ in the Glory is given in Rev. Ch. 1 where Apostle John falls before Jesus as dead, upon seeing Him..
catholic
1 year ago
Gorgeous reflection - thank you!

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