When you speak, do you use your hands, gesturing to make a point? In today’s gospel, John 4:43-54, a royal official asks Jesus to come to Capernaum and heal his son, who is ill. When I read Jesus’ response, I could hear his exasperation and impatience as he said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Can’t you hear him now, “You people!” Can’t you see him gesturing with his hands!

Just imagine Jesus’ hands: hands that began as a small baby with Mary and Joseph and grew into a young man who was found teaching in the temple. These hands, so full of transformative power, are a beacon of hope for us all.

This Lenten season, as you pray the Way of the Cross, watch for his hands and observe what he does with them. Imagine yourself standing there, witnessing his actions. Don’t you think he raised his hands to his father to save him from the death he knew he would suffer? The soldiers tied his hands in preparation for a scourging. He took up his cross and carried it to Calvary, where spikes were driven into his wrists. This terrible suffering, all because he loved us enough to endure it. He was not nailed to that cross for his sins. He is there because of ours. This is a personal journey, a connection between you and Jesus.

As we reflect on Jesus’ actions, let us also reflect on our own. Will you open your hands and heart to receive the forgiveness and salvation Jesus won for us? Will you close them in a prayer of thanksgiving and love? Let us take a moment to consider our own gestures, our own actions, and how they align with the teachings of Jesus.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, it was for the joy that was set before you that you endured the cross. I choose this day to take up the cross you give me and follow you wherever you lead. I choose to find my joy in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.