Let us look at a few of the beautiful things about Our Lord that we often overlook. Let us look at them on the evidence of Holy Scripture and not just out of a pious use of imagination. . .
Let us think a little first about Jesus’ voice. How do you imagine Him? Was He soft spoken and rather quiet? Well, they had no microphones in those days, and yet He spoke in the open air [to huge crowds]. It is true He went up a hill or spoke from a boat on the sea shore, but He must have had a strong voice. When there was that storm at sea and the frightened apostles woke Him up, how do you imagine He spoke the words of command, “Peace, be still!” which calmed the sea? Then there was the time when after weeping at the tomb of Lazarus, His friend, He said, “Lazarus, come forth!” How do you think He said that, in a whisper? How would you say it if you had the power to raise the dead? There was nothing hesitant or timid about Jesus’ voice, and there was absolute truth and sincerity in it quite apart from His actual words. It was said of Him, “And He spoke as one having authority.” Of course, He could also speak very tenderly and with great compassion and gentleness. To the poor, ashamed, and embarrassed woman dragged in front of a self-righteous crowd of sinners Our Lord said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go in peace and sin no more.” Think about the words, of course, but think also about how Jesus said them.
What about the hands of Jesus? Do you think they were beautiful, delicate, artists’ hands? They were surely the strong, large, somewhat roughened hands of a hard working manual worker. You can imagine Our Lord showing His hands when He said about those whom God the Father had given Him, among whom we find ourselves, “No one will snatch them out of My hands.” He used to embrace His friends, we know. He took bread in His hands and broke it. He used a whip of cords in the temple area once, too. He allowed them to put nails through His hands; since then He has depended on your hands and mine to get things done on earth.
I suppose we do not know a great deal about Jesus’ feet. “How beautiful are the feet of one who brings Good News,” says the Bible. The sinful woman who wept over His feet and wiped them with her hair knew what they were like. The Pharisee did not even show the courtesy, common at the time, of washing them when he welcomed Jesus as a guest. But His feet got dusty as He walked the roads of Palestine, just like anyone else’s, and they too were nailed to the Cross, that ours might take over on earth.
Perhaps the most important feature of Our Lord, if we must pick out only one, is His eyes. What a lot a person’s eyes can tell you; and how very important they are for people who love one another. How extraordinary it would be if we never thought about Jesus’ lovely eyes that look at us with such depth of love and welcome even when we have been sinful. They were eyes that looked with love at the rich young man, whose attachment to wealth made him unable to respond to that look as so many others have who have found their vocation at His invitation. Jesus looked at Peter after his betrayal, and Peter saw those eyes and went out and wept bitterly. When Our Lord foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem, He wept. His eyes could be very, very sad, and they could light up with joy. As God, Jesus knows us through and through, but as Man He looks at us with those eyes that were blindfolded in His Passion. . . Do not forget the eyes of Jesus, even if you do not know their color. They are looking closely and lovingly at you now.
Our Lord’s feelings about nature are revealed to us in many of the things He said. . . . Some of His adult expressions surely were colored by childhood experiences and things His Mother had told Him. . . He loved the grass and the lilies of the field. He was that sort of Person. They all belong to His Father and are beautiful.
Our Lord was extremely brave. It was not that He did not feel fear. He faced things He feared and trusted in God. He knew deep depression at times. He could be surprised, and delighted when surprised. One of the things that always caused Him delight was when people showed great faith. It is the same today. How we please Him when we exercise our faith and trust in God and do what is right even if we do not feel like it or see the results.
Let us get to know what Jesus is like. We cannot love Him as a Man if we ignore His voice and hands and feet and Heart and eyes and His human feelings. He is not only our God, but also . . . our brother, our friend, and our Savior.
If you want to be united to someone you must learn to love the things he loves, to appreciate what he appreciates, to value what he values. The absolutely outstanding love of Jesus’ life on earth and in heaven is His Mother. He loves Her more than the whole of creation. He is always with Her, and She is always with Him. It is not possible to love Jesus and know Him [as you should] if you do not know and love His Mother. For that reason He has made us Her children. Each of us is Her child. We have to know Her not just as Mother of God but as our own Mother. Of all the ways to get to know the humanity of Christ, the best and easiest and safest is to seek Him in the company of Our Lady. He shared and still shares everything with Her, and He even shares Her with you.
