I HAVE NO HANDS

Years ago, as a corporate lawyer, my boss came into my office to chit-chat, as he was want to, and told me his eight-year old, Michael, had asked him, “Is there really a Santa Claus?” To which he replied, “Yes,” thinking to himself, “Santa is the embodiment of the spirit of selfless generosity. Anytime you give to bring joy and happiness to another, especially children, you bring Santa to life.”

In the same way, Christians received their name in the first century because in their words and actions they embodied the sacrificial love of Christ. Someone wrote a comment to my last blog that to “enflesh” seems cannibalistic. They are not alone. There is a book entitled, “How The Romans Saw Christians”, which says the same thing. The Romans persecuted Christians because they were viewed as pagans for not believing in the Roman gods, and because there were rumors that Christians celebrated bloody, sacrificial meals, where they ate human flesh and drank human blood. It’s sad that what is sacred for some is often misunderstood by others (and not just about Catholic beliefs).

Still, to be a Catholic is indeed to enflesh Christ, to make His presence felt. We believe that Christ is ever-present, but that He is manifested most especially through us. There is an inner-city church in San Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe, with a statue of Our Lord outside, that has been vandalized. Its hands were broken off. But instead of replacing the hands, they put a sign underneath the statue that says, “I HAVE NO HANDS BUT YOURS.” That in essence captures what it means to be a Catholic…to be the hands, the heart, the Body of Christ.

Christ did not come simply to spend a few years with us and then leave us alone. He came to bring out the Christ in each of us…to be forever embodied in each of us. We all do the same with our children, and with all whom we love. We leave them a part of us so that it becomes a part of them. It shapes them.

For example, when I was in the seminary, one of the required courses was Pastoral Care. One day a visiting professor told us that each of us is shaped by the expressions used by our parents, such as “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, “Look before you leap”, “Life is like a bowl of cherries”, etc. I tried to recall what expression my parents used, and could not think of one. My parents were good and very hard-working, but not very expressive. Then it hit me. My parents’ expression was, “Action speaks louder than words” and they didn’t even have to say it. And it did indeed shape me.

Jesus used many sayings to express his and God’s great love and mercy. Perhaps, one that captures all of them is, “Love your enemy”. He not only said it, he lived it. He expressed this great love in many ways, not the least of which was breaking bread with one and all. He left us his words of love, and the way in which to live them so as to “be one” – his great dream. Now it is no mere coincidence that his parting gift to us was the Eucharist. He wanted us to break bread together, to feel his continuing presence with us and within us, and to bring his presence to life by becoming what we receive.

If you were going to leave your loved ones some words to help shape their lives, what expression would you use? If you were going to leave them a life-giving symbol, what would it be?