Healed wounds

Fr. Livio Tonello, director

The life always “offers” us some wounds. Some of them heal some others do not. Their scars remind us of our battles and our victories. But some wounds never heal. St. Thomas reach out and touched the wounded body of the risen Christ. We can read this symbolical gesture not only in the light of the faith but also as an invitation to look to the past serenely. Because the wounds on Jesus’ body do not bleed any more.

They are the signs of the violence he endured but they do not leave traces on the soul. They are “redeemed wounds”. They open up to the future because they are still open but they do not bleed. This is an Easter message that we can take in after the long months that have just disrupted our lives. And now we have the war in Ukraine adding suffering that will remain etched in the heart of children, mothers and the elderly due to loss, loneliness and frustration. Each scar tells a story to share. But they also have a positive meaning not to be forgotten.

The body continues to remember and the marks of suffering trace the paths, the turning points, the difficult choices and the unforeseen of our lives. It can also be a pain of the soul, an invisible sign: in this case we often pretend nothing has happened waiting for it to disappear over time. I can see a sign of Easter hope in the story of Costantina, a mother who lives in Belgium and who has been a member of our Association for many years.

She has transformed her unspeakable suffering for the loss of her daughter at the age of 13 years, to an incurable disease, into solidarity with the many families who go through the same ordeal. Spiritually she has been able to find a new life by creating a solidarity Association (charity) dedicated to her daughter Niagara (“Niagara un coeur gros comme ça”, Niagara, a big heart like this).

Charity work blooms where despair and angriness could have got the upper hand. The burden of the terrible pain she carried throughout the years could have been useless. She has the memory of the beautiful moments she spent with her daughter, she misses her bright face every day but she has transformed her memories into scars that give hope to other people. For the faithful the risen Lord is the image of the new man.

The cross and death were tragic experiences but not definitive. On the third day we can glimpse the buds of hope in the tortured flesh. The astonished disciples receive a message to restart. To touch the suffering with your hand means to experience the limits. We can emerge from the abyss of the suffering in a new and unexpected manner. As Niagara’s mother: to caress other people’s suffering has transformed her suffering into solidarity.

What does not kill you makes you stronger. And even if tears well up we will soften the hardened hearts. May this Easter be a source of hope, of peace and of rebirth for you all. With all my wishes!