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 proof of Thy identity, the marks of Thy Passion, gaping Wounds in the shield of Thy Body, with which Thou didst vanquish the princes of this world and the rulers of outer darkness; that so Thou mightest confirm in faith, hope, and charity Thy soldiers the Apostles, who on seeing Thy Passion, Thy Death on the Cross, and Thy Burial in the tightly-sealed tomb, had grievously lost heart. And who indeed who had witnessed all those evident signs of death in Thee could ever have thought that Thou wouldst rise again to life?

It was in order that Thy beloved disciples, who were not yet fully confirmed in the faith, might not despair, that Thou didst show Thyself to them in visible form, with the Wounds of Thy sacred and glorious Body miraculously preserved on Thee in proof of the reality of Thy Resurrection; and it was in order that they might believe, and might no longer doubt of Thy actual appearance to them, that Thou saidst to them: " Handle Me, and see that I am that very Jesus Christ Who for your sake hung upon the Cross, and by the Power of God rose again the third day, as I so often plainly foretold you, though you did not then clearly understand Me. Behold then now My Hands and My Feet, and My Side, and above all mark well in Me the five Wounds of My Passion: meditate on them day and night, and think how great was the love I bore you, and how great were the sufferings I endured in order that you might have eternal life. Peace be to you, My friends, to you who despise the world, to you for whom, after you shall have overcome the many dangers of this life present, I have prepared everlasting joy in Heaven with the holy Angels. Fear not, be