Devotional: To Touch Jesus

It is possible now to touch Jesus by seeking him at the Father's side and allowing him to draw us after him on his journey. To touch is to worship, and brings with it a mission. That is why Thomas may touch him: the presentation of Jesus' wounds to Thomas is meant not to cause the Passion to be forgotten but, on the contrary, to make it unforgettable. Jesus' action is a call to the mission of witnessing. Consequently, too, Thomas' touching turns onto an act of worship: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28) The entire Gospel has been leading up to this moment in which the touching of Jesus, the touching of the mortal wounds of him whom the powers of this world had crushed, becomes a recognition of God's glory. Now that he has passed through death, Jesus belongs to all human beings. We can touch him only by entering upon his way, only by ascending with him and, in union with the Father and the Son, belonging to all. The attempt to hold on to him is replaced by a mission: "Go to my brethren" (John 20:17)
...Pope Benedict XVI image