Last fall, I had the opportunity to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
It was a wonderful experience on so many levels.
One of the most powerful moments was at Calvary
where the scene we just read took place physically.
That day, I gave a reflection on a particularly powerful experience
I had a silent retreat some 7 or 8 years ago.
One part of the silent retreat is to meditate
on each of the different parts of scripture
and I spent one full week on the Passion of Christ.
To help break it open, we used different methods of prayer.
One of the methods of prayer we used is
called the “imaginative prayer” or “discursive meditation.”
In this prayer form, one imagines oneself
in one of the scenes of scripture.
One of the more powerful ones I recalled
was this particular scene where Jesus
was in the praetorium after being flogged and scourged,
waiting to be crucified.
I imagined myself in that scene.
And when I got into the praetorium,
Jesus was alone and faced down on the dirt floor.
His whole back and legs were covered
with open wounds from the scourging.
I was so in shock, I ran to him and knelt down.
I put my hands on him and said,
“Oh Jesus, what have they done to you?”
And as I put my hand on him,
he writhed in pain, and jarred backwards.
I realized that I had now hurt him more than as I tried to help.
Then he heard my voice.
He pulled himself up and rolled back over on his other side
with great pain and propped himself up.
Adding to my shock, he was covered
with welts and scars on the front of his body too.
Not a single inch to be seen that was unscarred.
I’m thinking, how could they do this to a human.
Why would they do this to you, Lord?
Just then, I saw a space just above his chest that had no open wound.
So, I put my hand right there and my hand on his hand.
He smiled gently and then he was comforted.
It was good for him, and it was good for me to be able to help.
Then he leans up and says,
“Brendan, in your ministry,
when you reach out to help people,
don’t touch their wounds.
Search for the place they have no wounds
and touch them there because there you will heal.
The wounds, even though you did not cause them,
will cause pain; and they will not be able to heal.”
I have tried to take that prayer to heart so many times.
And we try as priests and as ministers and people
to help one another but often, often we touch each other’s wounds.
In fact, in family life, I don’t know what it is about siblings
but we not only touch each other’s wounds,
we poke each other’s wounds. Right?
We actually go at it and we keep going until they break;
even spouses do it to each other.
Sometimes unintentionally
we keep poking, keep poking, keep poking
until boom! They blow up.
And then you think “Yeahhhh.”
I don’t know but there seems to be some perverse pleasure
we get out of causing that to happen to those who are closest to us.
But we are called to not touch each other’s wounds.
We are called to look for that one space in a person’s heart;
one space in a person’s life to try and touch them there
so that we can bring healing to one another.
It seems so straight forward but in our days of hurried-ness,
of busy-ness we just try to do things.
I think we are called much more to be pleasant to people;
and to look and to search for the one place they are not wounded.
I don’t think it is just priests who are called to that ministry.
I think every Christian is called to that ministry;
the ministry of healing,
the ministry of touch,
the ministry of presence.
When we can do that for one another,
we will heal each other.
We will heal this world.
We will heal the Body of Christ.
So today, as we come forward to venerate the cross,
I invite you all to please come
and in some way or form or another to venerate the cross.
As you wait in line, ponder your own wounds;
your own sinfulness;
the times that people have touched you
or pointed out your weaknesses;
or highlighted the things you do not do well and feel the pain;
and know the pain of the cross.
Then also think about those whose wounds
you have touched whether intentionally or unintentionally,
and vow to not touch them again
whether it be your spouse; your siblings; or friend or foe.
Let’s not touch each other’s wounds.
Let us rather heal each other
and touch the unwounded parts of each other’s soul.
