AUDIO MEDITATION:

Bramantino (Italian, 1456-1530), The Risen Christ, 1490, © Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.

FULL TEXT:

When the risen Lord appeared to the disciples, they were terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and 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 feet.

If Jesus appeared to his disciples as he does in this painting, we could understand why they thought they were seeing a ghost. His eyes plead with us, and his glorified body nearly shines—it is a stark encounter, one that we cannot easily dismiss.

Jesus shows us his hands as well. We can see his wounds—they are open and fresh. They are not healed over or hidden—the cross has become part of who he is, but he has also become so much more. His wounds do not hold him back. And he comes to bring this new life to us as well.

Jesus looks at us today and asks, “Why are you troubled? Why do questions arise in your hearts?”