When you see a wound, especially if the wound looks serious or grievous, how would you react? Some of us may feel faint, especially if the wound is oozing with blood. Some of us may feel quite squeamish and try to look the other way. Some of us may even run away, afraid to see more than just the wound. But could a wound be a source of tremendous joy or happiness? Some of you may be thinking: “Has this padre gone bonkers and needs his head examined? How could a wound ever be a source of tremendous joy or happiness?”
But surprising as it sounds, a wound could indeed be a source of tremendous joy and happiness. How so? In today’s Gospel, Jesus showed the wounds of his hands and his feet. Not only that, He even ate a piece of grilled fish right in front of the eyes of His disciples. The wounds of Jesus became a source of great and tremendous joy and happiness, because they show that Jesus is not a ghost, but is risen, and that the disciples not only had Jesus in their midst again, they were also healed of their possible feelings of guilt of having deserted and abandoned Jesus in His darkest moment.
In a way, Jesus is also beckoning us to show the wounds of our hearts, to tell Him what is troubling and disturbing us, to tell Him our hurts and pains, as well as our anger and resentment. Jesus is inviting us to let Him heal us, since by His wounds, we are healed and saved. May we with tremendous joy and happiness and without any hesitation, show our wounds to Jesus, so that He can heal us and make us whole again.