On the woundedness of Christian martyrs

Those who have suffered for Christ are adorned forever with their wounds.  Windows in a house do not make it less safe and are not something ugly but a necessary decoration for a building, to let in light and allow those within to look out.  In the same way, the body’s sufferings for Christ’s sake and the resultant wounds become for those who bear them windows to let in the light without evening.  And when that light shines forth they will be recognizable by the divine beauty and radiance of their wounds and not by their ugliness.  Their scars will not be obliterated when suffering comes to an end, insofar as they procure immortality.   

As I read the explanation above, I was reminded of John 20:27, Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side, do not be faithless, but believing.”  Even the Lord retains His wounds which are not ugly, but a glorious sign of His sacrificial love for the world.  Pres. C.