Jesus is not afraid to get dirty. He makes mud with his spit and smears it in the eyes of the blind. He touches the bodies of lepers. He stands in the stench of a man four days dead. And, in these seemingly sullied, unwashed acts, amazing things happened.
It might seem that no one shares his apparent supernatural abilities. Yet, when five thousand gathered with nothing to eat, Jesus invited his friends to participate in the making of a miracle. He blessed the loaves and fish, and then, with the hands of his disciples, multiplied them for all. His prayer needed their hands to become a reality.
So too does Christ need our hands, dirty or not. With Christ beside us, let us feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned. In our love of Christ and each other, let us help and heal the world.
—Eric Immel, S.J. is a Jesuit scholastic studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. He also serves as a Jesuit vocation promoter and is a prolific and creative author.