From The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich, Chapter Thirty-Eight: “The Nailing of Jesus to the Cross.”
“The executioners did not allow Jesus to rest long, but bade him rise and place himself on the cross that they might nail him to it. Then seizing his right arm they dragged it to the hole prepared for the nail, and having tied it tightly down with a cord, one of them knelt upon his sacred chest, a second held his hand flat, and a third taking a long thick nail, pressed it on the open palm of that adorable hand, which had ever been open to bestow blessings and favors on the ungrateful Jews, and with a great iron hammer….”
You know how that is going to end.
In the beginning, after God created, Adam and Eve were free to live in the Garden, with only one stipulation—God said, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) Did they listen? No, they reached out their hand, took, and ate the fruit. What was the first thing they realized afterward? They were naked. Break out the fig leaves. They believed that by eating, by reaching out, and taking what they wanted, even though it was contrary to God’s command, all things would be revealed to them. Instead, they and their sin were the ones revealed, and they became ashamed before God. Ever since, we’ve gone to great lengths to hide our nakedness, both physically (the worldwide fashion industry is worth $1.8 trillion) and spiritually.
At the other end of Holy Scripture, in the Book of Revelation, we get our clothes—not ones we’ve made, but those gifted by God. Clothes that make known our faith in Jesus. John writes, “I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes.” (Revelation 7:9) When he asks who these people are, he is told, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14) It is only through Jesus that we are properly clothed, enabling us to stand before God. How did Jesus accomplish this great work?
As Jesus walked, a man with leprosy approached Him and fell down before Him. The leper said, “‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (Matthew 8:2-3)
While in Sidon, the people brought a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and begged Jesus to help him. “Taking him aside from the crowd privately, [Jesus] put his fingers into his ears [He touched him], and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” (Mark 7:33-35)
One day, while Jesus was teaching, the ruler of the synagogue came and pleaded with him to save his daughter, who was near death. Jesus agreed, but by the time they arrived, the daughter was already dead. Jesus told them not to worry; the girl was only sleeping. The people laughed at Him. “Jesus put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, ‘Talitha cumi,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ And immediately the girl got up and began walking.” (Mark 5:40-42)
Jesus and the disciples had fed the 5,000. Afterward, Jesus sent the disciples back across the lake in a boat while He went up a mountain to pray. A great storm began to blow. Jesus came to them, walking on the water, and impetuous Peter said, ‘Lord, if that is really you, tell me to come to you.’ Jesus replied, ‘Well, come on.’ Peter got out of the boat and also walked on the water, but “when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:30-31)
Jesus stretched out His hand, touched the leper, and healed him. Jesus stretched out His hand, touched the deaf/mute, and restored his hearing and speech. Jesus stretched out His hand, touched the dead little girl, and gave her life. Jesus stretched out His hand, grabbed hold of Peter, and saved him.
Jesus saved us all and made it possible for us to clothe our spiritual nakedness with white robes, making us worthy to stand before His Father by stretching out His hand one last time. When He did, they drove a spike through it. However, what the devil and all the others who opposed the will of God failed to understand was that the result this one last time would be exactly the same as it had always been. He stretched out His hand on the hard wood of the cross, and He healed, He restored, He gave life, and He pulled us from the grasp of the enemy. With the blood He shed, He washed our robes, and He washed our souls.
Too often, we follow the example of Adam and Eve—reaching out our hands and grabbing whatever we desire, regardless of God’s commands. Instead, we should follow the example of Jesus—reaching out to heal, restore, and show others how they might be raised to eternal life. Like the friends of the deaf/mute, we are to bring others to Jesus so that He might touch them.
When you see the outstretched hands of Jesus nailed to the cross, meditate on what those most sacred hands accomplished, and then commit yourself to continuing that work. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) May we stop always grabbing at the things we want and instead stretch out our hands to continue the healing, restoring, life-giving work of Jesus.
Let us pray… Lord Jesus Christ, most gracious Creator of man and Restorer of his wounded nature… I praise and glorify you for your ever-consuming love for our salvation, for your being so violently stretched out on the hard wood of the Cross, waiting there to receive you…. I praise you for the pungent piercing of your hands….
You allowed your hands to be transfixed by evil men, and in this way your sacred hands, while nailed to the Cross, paid back the heavy debt incurred by Adam, who had extended his deadly hands to the forbidden tree. By your precious blood you wiped away that long-standing debt.
O faithful servant of Jesus, raise your eyes upward, and with a sad heart and grieving face, look upon your God and Redeemer hanging between the lofty arms of the Cross… He stretches out his most loving arms to you; he shows you his open wounds; he bends his head to kiss you; he is prepared to receive you in his favor and without any hesitation to forgive your every sin… Far be it for us to glory in anything but the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
O good and gentle Jesus, beloved Son of God, in following your Father’s will you deigned to take unto yourself the substance of our flesh … and to offer it on the altar of the Cross for the world’s salvation. Have mercy on me, your servant, who now asks your forgiveness and grace. Relying on your goodness and the infinite merits of your Passion, pardon all my sins committed against you, whether recent or old, knowingly or unknowingly. Your merits far exceed mankind’s wickedness and your abounding atonement is much greater than all my iniquity, no matter how frequently committed. Knowing this, I come before you under the protection of the Cross and hope for still greater mercy. From the depths of my heart I ask and seek the remedy that will bring me to salvation. Amen. (On the Passion of Christ: According to the Four Evangelists, p.74-78)
Candle in a Cave 