Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 9, 2026
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.”
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
One of my favorite crucifixes on Notre Dame’s campus hangs in the Law School chapel. Its simplicity and solemnity captivated me when I first saw it. But recently, I noticed another detail: Jesus’ right hand, still nailed to the beam, is held in the sign of peace.
To look at this image is to hear today’s gospel. The first word Jesus speaks to his disciples is one of peace. Their doubts and fears linger, though, and he goes on: “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.” It is hard for me not to detect a bit of dark humor in this verse. Why are his hands and feet a fitting confirmation of his identity? Because they are wounded and scarred, of course. Jesus uses the very proofs of the disciples’ betrayal as the proofs of his resurrected presence among them.
This is the paradox of divine love, its explosive power. Only God could, in the very act of revealing our sin, comfort and encourage us. It is striking in this context that Jesus urges his disciples to go out and preach “repentance” and “the forgiveness of sins.” The message of the gospel is always twofold: we have strayed, but God desires reconciliation and has accomplished it. Jesus is the “hand God extends to sinners,” but he is himself a pierced hand.
The Lord’s invitation to behold his hands and feet is not a petty jab at the disciples. It is an invitation to the truth. To understand the victory that Christ has won, to enter into it, we must be willing to confront all that is worst in us. But he will be there, with words of peace, desiring that we too should become “witnesses to these things.”
Prayer
In your appearances after the resurrection, Lord Jesus, you greeted your disciples with peace and showed them that your body, once dead in the tomb, was alive again. They became witnesses of your death and resurrection and preached your name to the ends of the earth, beginning from Jerusalem. Many centuries later, help us to know your life deep within us that we, too, might witness to you by all we do and say, and carry your good news to all we meet. You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Hugh of Champagne was a nobleman born in the late seventh or early eighth century. While he was a still a layman, Hugh was appointed the caretaker of Jumièges Abbey. In 718, he embraced the call to monastic life and entered Jumièges as a monk.
In 722, the important French city of Rouen's diocesan seat fell vacant. Hugh was called upon to take up the role of archbishop. Hugh left his monastery and managed not only the Archdiocese of Rouen but Fontenelle Abbey. Two years, later, Hugh took on two more dioceses to care for—Paris and Bayeux! St. Hugh's pastoral energies must have been nearly inexhaustible!
Finally, as he neared death, Hugh retired back to his home monastery of Jumièges. Hugh died on the ninth of April, 730. St. Hugh's earthly remains were laid to rest at Notre Dame in Paris. Two centuries later, his relics were smuggled away to Belgium to save them from being ransacked by Norman invaders in Paris.
St. Hugh of Champagne, abbot and bishop who gave of himself tirelessly to care for Christ's flock—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Hugh of Champagne with his brothers is in the public domain. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
