Christ Invites Us to Expose Our Woundedness
When Adam and Eve first ate of the forbidden fruit, they experienced a shame that led them to cover their nakedness. This carries a significant spiritual weight. Their physical state of nakedness, prior to the fall, pointed to the spiritual truth that nothing lay hidden between them, their hearts were exposed and vulnerable to each other without any sense of embarrassment. Yet, after having sinned, they covered themselves up, pointing to a decision that has spiritual bearings as well. That is to say that after having fallen into sin, they experienced a fear of vulnerability and now, they who used to be spouses, lived afraid of each other, lest the other uncover their imperfections and wounds. As they began to hide from each other, so too did they hide from the Lord in the Garden.
This story in scripture and the decisions of Adam and Eve are more than tales; they illustrate our own behaviors for us. Scripture is like peering into a mirror where we discover ourselves. In this part of Genesis, we see illustrated the same tendency that we have after we have sinned, to clothe ourselves and cover up our tracks. We become imprisoned in shame and fear, wondering what those in charge of us will think, afraid of punishment, worried about the consequences. Our wounds remain covered, unattended to; they kill us slowly, while we spiritually bleed out.
This same tendency is found among the disciples after the Passion and death of Jesus Christ. Most of the Apostles abandoned Jesus and they hid in fear just like Adam and Eve. Yet Jesus, just as God did in the Garden, went looking for them, entering into the room where they were hiding on Easter Sunday. His words were astonishing. He greeted them saying, “Peace be with you,” assuring them of his forgiveness and then Jesus did something absolutely marvelous… he showed them his hands and his side, he uncovered himself to show the disciples his woundedness.
What is being depicted here is a moment of triumph. Jesus is the New Adam. Rather than covering up his woundedness, he exposed it so that all could see. His gesture demonstrates the undoing of original sin and beckons us, along with the disciples, to no longer be afraid. Jesus, by showing his wounds, is inviting us to be unafraid and to do the same. He assures us that with his wounds he has paid the price for our sins and that through those wounds we can be healed. Nevertheless, the Lord respects our freedom and waits for us to do the same, to expose our wounds to him so that he can heal them by the forgiveness of sins that he won for us through his death and resurrection.
In this way, we can then become like our Master, by then showing others who are afraid, that we have been wounded, but it has not been enough to defeat us, that by the grace of God, we may have been scarred, bruised and beaten, but Christ has given us new life. We have been resurrected with him.
Fr Gabriel, the fourth of six children, was raised in a Catholic family in Framingham, Massachusetts. By the end of high school, he felt a clear calling to the priesthood, though he initially struggled to accept this vocation. Pursuing his dream of studying art, he found himself continually confronted by the question of his vocation. Eventually, Gabriel decided to stop running and went to the Domus Galilee in Israel for a period of discernment. This pivotal decision allowed him to embrace his calling. Father Gabriel was ordained as a priest in May 2024 and is currently serving at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
