Healing Scars

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

 (Caravaggio  1601-1602)

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

At the end of last year in a series of essays in the Christian Century the authors shared stories of their scars.  One particular essay, caught my attention.  It was a narrative of cesarean deliveries.  It is a beautiful and painful story.

As a practicing obstetrician gynecologist, I created many scars, some seen and many unseen.  In addition, I taught others how to perform these procedures and systematically reviewed the outcomes.  These surgical acts were done realizing scars would result.  Simultaneously, we prayed for a healing result.  We understood the wisdom of our surgical predecessor, Ambroise Paré who wrote:

Je le pansai, Dieu le guérit ("I bandaged him and God healed him”)

I also have seen and evaluated many scars, some of my own making and many from others.  They all carry a physical story.  When I would see an abdominal scar that is broad, thick and indented, I knew that the scar went deep and has associated with a history of compromised healing.  Those scars required review of the surgical records and the patient’s experience.

So beside the biology of wound healing and scars, there are important narrative truths as demonstrated by the essays.  Confusion and uncertainty are frequent initial responses that only resolve with being able to tell and share scar stories.  For Christians, the story of Thomas and Jesus describes both the physical and spiritual reality of our scars and healing.   For me, the painting by Carravaggio tells that story.

Thanks be to God for healing all our wounds.

Marvin

References

Wikipedia:  The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Caravaggio)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas_(Caravaggio)

Scar: Essays by Readers. Christian Century 12/30/20

https://www.christiancentury.org/article/readers-write/scar-essays-readers

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambroise_Paré

Hage, M. L. (2016). The Healing Challenge.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-healing-challenge.html