Within Thy Wounds

Reflection for April 12, 2026 – The Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

In today’s Gospel, we read about how Jesus miraculously appeared in front of His disciples while they were hiding from the Jews in a locked room. He later showed Thomas his crucifixion wounds to satisfy his doubt. Find today’s reading here.  

The prayer I love best in the world is the Anima Christi. This private, devotional litany of supplication, begins with the phrase “anima Christi, sanctifica me” (“soul of Christ, sanctify me”) and continues on to appeal individually to each aspect of Our Lord’s crucified flesh: “Body of Christ, save me; blood of Christ, inebriate me; water from Christ’s side, wash me; passion of Christ, strengthen me; Oh good Jesus, hear me.”

Then comes my favorite part: “within thy wounds hide me.”

The Anima Christi is a prayer traditionally said after receiving Holy Communion. The ancient Celts spoke of liminal places, where the veil separating this world from the next is particularly thin, and I believe the moments immediately following the reception of Holy Communion, when the Host is dissolving on my tongue, create a liminal place. When I am in that place, I am as intimately connected to God as I can be while my heart is still beating.

And when I am there, holding God within me, what are the words that I speak? It’s overwhelming to think about. What could possibly be right to say?

There is no right or wrong answer, I suppose. But the best words I can think of are these: “Within thy wounds, Lord, hide me.”

There is a reason Christ showed his wounds as he said the words, “Peace be with you.” It was not just a means of identifying himself — it was a catechism lesson. Here, he was saying. Here is the peace you will not find anywhere else.

©LPi