Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Thomas had the right instinct. The body of Christ which is the church is wounded by family problems, by health issues, by poverty, by racism, by abuse, etc. If we are to recognize Christ it will be by touching those wounds. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor murdered by the Nazis, warned us against what he called “cheap grace.” Christianity is more than getting together with like minded people and singing kum-ba-ya. It demands reaching out to, what Pope Francis calls, the peripheries, those not being touched with love and compassion. When are willing to touch the wounded then are we able to see the face of Christ and say “My Lord and my God.”
JULY32023
By Church Staff
