IX. Jesus falls for the third time
When Jesus fell for the third time, he lived in his body all the loneliness of a despairing humanity. He could not get up again without help. But there was no one reaching out to him and offering him the support to stand again. Instead, his open hands were struck with a lash, and cruel hands pulled him back to a standing position. Jesus, God-made-human, falls so that we can bend over to him and show him our love and compassion, but we are too busy with other things even to notice. God, whose hands molded the universe, gave shape to Adam and Eve, touched every suffering person with tenderness, and who holds all things in love, became a human person with human hands asking for human hands. But those very hands were left open and pierced with nails. . . . Every night I go to rest and look at my hands. And I have to ask them: “Did you reach out to one of the open hands around you and bring a little bit of peace, hope, courage, and confidence?”
Excerpt from Henri Nouwen’s Walk With Jesus, Orbis Books. Posted with the kind permission of the publisher.
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March 10th, 2008 @ 1:12 am
I would like to keep in mind and heart a vision when I reach out with my hands is asking God’s blessing- ‘bless Thou the work of my hands’ : and as Christ dwells in me so His Grace is the energy in my ‘doing’. And in prayer for someone I try to stand behind them as Jesus is in front of us. In that way too HE holds and redeems the pain & sorrow. It does help me not to break with the weight of concern for others. I struggle with this in my experience of the last 3 days: my good friend’s grandchildren are suffering greatly due to their mother’s drug addiction. I pray for guidence and reach out as I am able. Ruthann- being the Lord Jesus’ beloved is what most of us in our humanity don’t remember!- Maybe we can remember it for each other until it permeates a little deeper in us- Henri N shares a meditative prayer about this: Jesus: “Ruthann, you are my beloved”; You: “Jesus, You are my beloved”; and inserting the name of others: “Jesus, ________ is Your beloved”. speak these slowly & quietly for several repetitions- look for Him with the eyes & ears of your heart. All of the comments shared here bless me. I appreciate all of the honesty as we ‘gather’ in our Lenten journeys! Julie
March 9th, 2008 @ 6:08 am
Your struggle and honesty and heart are a great blessing, Ruthann, especially to me here and now, today, at the computer. The struggle is something so many of us deal with. I think, while respecting the need for confidentiality of the other one in pain, help for you can come from turning to others in the faith community to share prayers and support and encouragement, discernment power. I’m praying for you to get the support you need, it’s clear you have so much to give, especially that you see where others are suffering and in need of healing and wholeness. God bless you and keep you safe from all harm.
March 8th, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
I have been thinking about this excellent question for some time. “How to use my hand to reach out?” I think how we reach out depends, to a large degree, upon our spiritual gifts. As examples: If we have the gift noted below, we could do something like the task noted:
- Encouragement - Mentoring youth during confirmation
- Giving - Time and talent to a Non for Profit
- Healing - Become a Stephen Minister
- Leadership - Chair the Mission Board at Church
- Service - Help serve a meal to the homeless
- Teaching - Bible Study
I had a spiritual gifts test and learned what gifts I have - leadership, giving and service. When I do what is indicated, I find joy and seem be useful. When I stray from my gifts, I find I feel lost.
I would welcome some feedback on this process and solution.
March 8th, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
I do reach out to others. My fault is to forget that I am His beloved. You must have a self to give a self. I often get lost in the others pain. Any suggestions?
March 7th, 2008 @ 3:55 pm
This meditation is something I confess I struggle with. Especially sometimes with the open hands which are closest to me. Poverty in my country often is perceived differently than poverty in other countries. There is a sentence at the top of page 58 “Instead, his (Jesus) open hands were struck with a lash and cruel hands pulled him back to a standing position.” And also near the bottom of the same page, “And I have to ask them: “Did you reach out to one of the open hands around you and bring a little bit of peace, hope, courage and confidence?” We have many governmental programs–Foods Stamps, Welfare, etc. to help people but the level of help still keeps them basically income insecure. People who have more resources can afford to make a mistake–bounce a check, get a traffic ticket, etc., but people who are on these programs can’t afford the luxury of making a mistake. When their open hands reach out to me, I confess to having to deal with my own defenses against their need and don’t know how often I actually succeed in bringing them peace, hope, courage and confidence. I want to bring these things to them and not make things worse but really discerning the most constructive things to say and do when open hands reach out to me and I know they have made some bad decisions continues to be a challenge for me that I can only look to the Holy Spirit and other’s guidance to help me with. I know the hands of these are the hands of the fallen Jesus waiting for me to come and give them my hand.
March 7th, 2008 @ 9:05 am
Jesus Falls for 3rd Time – Nouwen portrays Christ reaching out with a hand for a hand to help Him in his journey to the cross. “Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). Around the world there are hands that reach out to us for help in making their way through the journey of life. Nouwen encourages to use this station of the cross to look for the hands reaching out in helplessness, frustration, loneliness and simply reach out our hand to help them up – as if reaching out to Christ. How did you use your hand to reach out and help someone today?.