WOUNDED BY THE LOVE, WE LOVE THE WOUNDED
Dear friends of Gethsemane, the Lord gives you his peace.
In this month, let us intensify our prayer to the Prince of Peace, so that such a heavenly gift may grow within us and for all humanity so needy of God, even if he does not confess it openly. The Word of the liturgical time that we are about to live has its strength and the whole Church is invited by the Lord to have her gaze turned to this event of light: it is the mystery of Easter. In this sense, the account of the creation of man and woman seems to me of great brightness, because it tells in a wonderful way the creation of man under a key we could say nuptial. God affirms: "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him help a help-mate" (Gen 2,18).
The story is very fascinating, and a little later it turns out that the man feels alone. After having given a name to all creatures according to the advice of God, the text tells us about man’s underlying feeling: "but no help-mate suitable for the man was found for him" (Gen 2:20). It is very important for us to note how God perceives, sees, and promptly acts: "Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep; he took one of his ribs and enclosed it in flesh. The Lord God built the rib he had taken from theman into a woman and brought her to the man" (Gen 2,21-22). I emphasize some aspect: it is God the Creator who performs a miracle towards the man, who feels alone, giving him a similar help: the woman. The text goes on to tell of Adam’s joy in seeing the woman as a creature conceived by God himself (cf. Gen 2:23). Then we know well that both of them, because of the serpent, will be seduced, deceived and turned away from God. I may be wrong, but I am convinced that here a wound has entered into the heart of God. The creature placed at the center of his creation, made in his image and likeness, has been torn from his sight! It is an open wound for God and humanity! (cf. Gen 2:15-25).
It will be only with Jesus Christ that letting himself be wounded comes to heal this wound, and its fulfillment will be on Golgotha, on the Cross (cf. Jn 19,28-35). In fact, if we have seen in Genesis that it is God who opens a 'wound' on the side of Adam to create an aid similar to him, here under the Cross, it is the man, at a dramatic moment in all history, who opens a wound on the side of the Son of God (cf. Jn 19:34-35). Here the new creation takes place, the Church is born from the Wound of Christ. Christ let himself be hurt and wounded, he entered once for all into the wounded humanity, so that can find peace, faith, hope and love in him. This will of divine love remains open for eternity in the glorious wounds of the Crucified One. That primordial nakedness which made us ashamed and afraid in the presence of God has been covered with the Light of the Risen One. He gives us the joy of the children of the Resurrection: saved by Christ!
It seems to me that what the Lord needs today is the testimony of people who love with this complete love, witnessed by Christ on the Cross. It sounds like a sweet and moved imperative: Love, even if wounded, as the Lord has loved us; Love truly our neighbor, needy and hurt. Our humanity is wounded, we all recognize it. We have an extreme need for his way of loving: "Love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 13:34-35).
May Mary Most Holy help us to 'do' what he has testified to us and that he will tell us once more in the mystery of the eternal Wedding (cf. Jn 2:5; 19:28-35).
Be blessed, be remembered by this Garden.
Happy Easter in the Lord!
