THE BODY OF CHRIST - I become aware of their hands, notice the look in their eyes and hear what is not said.
After being a priest for a while, I began to notice the hands. “The Body of Christ”, and place the host in her or his hands: Hands that are calloused and scarred from work. Hands that are gnarled and broken by illness. Hands that care for children, the sick, the elderly. Hands that make music, build boats, cook, plant, create beautiful things. All of these hands tell the stories of these people who have responded to God’s invitation to come to this table. This bread is their connection with the God who authored their stories.
And after a while I started to look — even if just for a second — into their eyes. As I held up the piece of bread, saw in their eyes the simple joy of receiving their Lord in the Eucharist. Some days I detect a sadness or hurt in their eyes or hear a note of pain or grief in their “Amen”.
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