hand-shake
"Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land." —Exodus 14:21
After the Israelites had crossed the sea and the Lord had clogged the Egyptians' chariot wheels in the midst of the sea, Moses again "stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth" (Ex 14:27). This drowned the Egyptian army.
When Moses stretched out his hand, he did miracles. However, when Jesus extended His hands (Mt 12:49), He did even greater things. Jesus extended His hands to us, His disciples, and said: "There are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to Me" (Mt 12:50). When Jesus extended His hands, He told us, who obey His Father's will, that we are His brothers, sisters, and mothers. We are members of God's family. We have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, Son of God, God Himself, second Person of the Trinity.
Stretch out your hand to the extended, nail-scarred hands of Jesus. Give Jesus a hand, even if that means having nail-scarred hands yourself. Be more than a Moses (see Mt 11:11). Be a member of God's family.
Prayer: Father, when I receive Holy Communion, may I consecrate my hands to You.
Promise: "I will sing to the Lord, for He is gloriously triumphant." —Ex 15:1
Praise: St. Lawrence of Brindisi called the word of God "the source of faith, hope, charity, all virtues, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all beatitudes of the Gospel, all good works, all the rewards of life, all the glories of paradise."
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Baptism in the Holy Spirit on audio AV 43-1 or video V-43.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 5, 2009
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