I recently had the privilege of having a gentle and wise pastor spend 3 hours examining my life and praying for me. Towards the end of our time together, he described the wounds that I've experienced in my life as "sacred wounds." Honestly, I didn't know what he meant by that, so he explained that a "sacred wound" is a wound that Jesus has entered into. It's a wound we can't pretend didn't happen or one that will magically disappear, but it is a wound that has been put in the hands of the Divine healer. It's a wound that can now be carried with dignity.
I think it's significant that the holes in Jesus' hands and feet remained intact in his resurrected body. Like it was in Jesus, Richard Rohr writes,
"I think we carry our wounds until the end; they do not fully go away but keep us humble, patient, and more open to trust. The healing lies in the fact that our wounds no longer defeat us or cause us to harm ourselves or others. Wounds become our daily offering to God, and they develop in us compassion toward the weakness of others."May our wounds--our sacred wounds--become our honor.
