In a few days, on July 3rd, the Church will celebrate the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle and, a day later, we as a nation will celebrate Independence Day. In this reflection, I would like to say something about both.
I am always struck by the fact that Thomas refused to be convinced of the Lord’s resurrection without first touching with his own hands the wounds of his passion. I am even more struck by the fact that the risen Jesus has chosen to retain those wounds in his glorified body. Why has he chosen to do that?
In my view, the risen Jesus wants to remind us, the body which is his church, that the same evils that caused the wounds of his passion will continue to afflict the body of his church and indeed the whole human family throughout the course of history, until his final return in glory at history’s end.
Yes, the resurrection points to the ultimate and final triumph of good over evil, of grace over sin, but throughout history the cosmic struggle between the forces of good and evil continues.
Evil has had many faces throughout history. Today those faces include personal and corporate sin, racism, inequality, inequity, Covid-19, prejudice, sex-trafficking, hate, division, indifference. There is no end to the list.
Like Thomas, let us touch the wounds of the risen Jesus and, in doing so, come to faith in the Risen Lord as he did. Then, let us work with the grace of the Risen Jesus and the power of his Holy Spirit, to rid the world and our own lives of the evils that those wounds symbolize, both then and now.
This Independence Day calls upon every American and especially every believer to celebrate our freedoms by working to bring about greater justice, deeper peace, true equity and shared prosperity for all.
The wounds of Jesus heal those whose faith in him works for justice and whose love for him extends to the least and the last among us.
V. Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS
Provincial
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province
