SEE MY HANDS AND MY FEET
Jesus continues to appear and
reappear after His resurrection. He comes to make us see Him. He comes to make
us feel Him. He wants to stay with us. He wants to communicate with us. He
wants to commune with us. He wants us to
experience Him in reality. He wants us to live beyond theories and hearsays.
The Gospel of today is a follow
up from the Emmaus story. The two disciples told the story of the event on the
road and how they knew Jesus during the breaking of the bread. The other
disciples may have doubted. Jesus came in and authenticated the message of the
two. He came to bear witness to the witness they were bearing about Him. He
came to give them reasons to move on. He came to show them His Hands and Feet.
He shows how ready He is to help us.
AKACHI: THE HANDS OF GOD
Jesus has got a mark in His hands
with which He is to be known. They became marks of recognition (ahumarachi),
God's mark, Divine imprint.
Let us reflect a little on the
hand of God. This is the hand with which man was formed out of clay. This is
the hand that took up the cross, this is the hand that received the nails
drilled with the hammer.
It is the hand that indicates
Divine presence. When one is called, he answers by raising his hands. Jesus
raised His hands today and showed it to the disciples. He means to say: It is
I. I am present. I am living. I live for you. Take my hand and give me yours.
Let me create you anew. By the power of my hand, I will make out something new
in you.
AKARAKA (Divine Destiny)
Jesus shows the disciples that it
is in his hands to save. It is in His destiny to suffer and die. It is a Divine
mandate. It is what he received from God (Onatarachi ya). He bore witness (aka
ebe) with His life to God. He is pierced that He may make our own akaraka to
shine in Him (ka anyi chakee) .It is in Christ's destiny to change our own
destiny for good. Look at your hands. Whose marks do you bear? Do you have the
marks of righteousness, of peace and of love? May God make all He has deposited
in you to shine. Your destiny will never be denied even after many delays and
nailing.
ENYEMAKA (DIVINE ASSISTANCE/ SANCTIFYING GRACE)
The Igbo Catechism 'nke abuo'
defines Sanctifying Grace as: Aka Chineke tiirim, I ji mara ihe oma, meekwa ihe
oma (God's hand on me, helping me to know and do good). Enyemaka in Igbo will
mean literally (Give hand, I give my hand).
Jesus gives us his helping hands
today. He knows we can't do without it. Let us in humility and holiness receive
those hands. These hands are capable of lifting us up, saving us from drowning,
carrying us to God and away from evil, catapulting us to our destiny, feeding
us and indeed handling the troubles troubling us spiritually and otherwise.
AKA DI OCHA( Clean Hands)
The hands shown to the apostles
today are pure and they purify. Jesus shows us these hands that we may learn
from Him to keep our hands clean. Not to put our hands in things that
dishonours God. He challenges us to keep our hands clean even when we bear the
marks of hatred, of injustice, of bitterness, of accusations etc. Don't drive
nails into people's hands again. Don't destroy the people placed in your hands.
Handle the responsibilities given to you by God well. God will bless the works
of your pure hands.
SEE MY FEET
With the feet of Christ, He went
about doing good; preaching, healing, feeding the people and raising the dead.
By calling us to see His feet,
Jesus reminds us of what He did with His feet. With my feet I walk towards you.
Why not walk towards me? Why do you walk away from me? Keep my feet ever in
mind and ensure you continue to walk in the path of life eternal.
HANDS AND FEET: A NEXUS
With His feet Jesus walks towards
us. He walks with us. May we also walk up to Him in faith, hope and charity.
When we walk to Jesus as He walks towards us, we shall meet Him and embrace Him
with our hands. We shall be healed by His Holy touch. We shall receive the
blessings from His hands. May the marks of Christ's hands and feet attract
abundant blessings and grace for us.
LET US PRAY
Thank You dear Lord for showing
us the mysteries Your saving marks. Give us the grace never to relent in
walking the path your feet trace for us. Grant that we may merit to receive the
blessings flowing from Your holy hands, that we may savour the joy of your
eternal bliss after bearing witness to you here on earth through Christ our
Lord. Amen
Happy Sunday (Third Sunday of
Easter)
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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