He Has No Body but Ours
In a speech to Roman university students and staff, Pope Francis noted:
The first time I went out to Saint Peter’s Square as Pope, I approached a group of young blind people. And one of them said to me, “Can I see you? Can I look at you?” I didn’t understand. “Yes” I told him. And with his hands he looked – he saw me with his hands. This really struck me and helped me understand the intelligence of the hands….
While the hands take, the mind understands, learns and is surprised. Yet for this to happen, our hands must first be sensitive. The mind will not be able to comprehend anything if the hands are closed by greed; or if they let time, health and talents slip through their fingers; or if they refuse to give peace, to greet or take another by the hand. We cannot understand others if our hands have fingers pointing mercilessly at the errors of our brothers and sisters. And we cannot be surprised by anything if our hands do not know how to be joined and raised to heaven in prayer.
Let us look at the hands of Christ. With them He takes bread and having blessed it, breaks it and gives it to the disciples, saying “This is my body.” Then He takes the cup and after giving thanks, offers it to them, saying, “This is my blood.” What do we see here? We see hands that, as they take, they give thanks. Jesus’ hands touch the bread and wine, the body and blood, life itself, and they give thanks. They take and give thanks because they feel everything is a gift from the Father. … Like Christ, let us have “Eucharistic” hands, accompanying every contact and touch with humble, joyful and sincere gratitude, therefore creating harmony within ourselves.
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The word Eucharist comes from a Greek verb that means giving thanks. Thus, every time we “take and receive” we do so with humble gratitude because everything we have and all we are—all are gifts from God.
We live in a world that has become very harsh and divisive. There is political disunity, to the point of hatred and violence. Wars are being fought in various parts of the world. Our own nation has experienced an incredible loss of life due to violent outbursts of hatred and revenge.
On this holy night we recall Jesus’ humble service of washing feet—giving an antidote to the poison of violence and hate: caring, giving, looking out for the needs of the poor, tired feet of the suffering all around the world. On this holy night we recall the gift of Jesus’ hands: nourishing, strengthening, providing, embracing…
St. Teresa of Avila, a mystic who lived in the sixteenth century, had this remarkable insight:
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks (with) compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
On this holy night we receive Jesus’ hands and feet. We receive Jesus body, precisely so that we can be his body, bringing his message, his strength, his compassion, and his love to a broken world. We cannot give what we do not have. And so we receive, we take and eat, so that we, in turn, can give and nourish, lift up and heal, sooth and comfort, a world that needs Jesus’ healing touch.