How to Actually Be Christ's Hands and Feet

St. Teresa of Avila once boldly proclaimed:

“Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are His body.”

As I said, pretty bold statement.

If you’re anything like me, being the hands and feet of Christ in the world is a very appealing concept. If it is possible for me to be a vessel of God’s love and care to my neighbor, sign me up. If I can help others receive even a fraction of what I have received from the Lord, I would gladly devote my whole life to the endeavor.

But unfortunately, I think we sometimes can read prayers like this and appreciate the good sentiment, but get hung up on how to practically live it out. Sure it all sounds great, but how can we actually be Christ’s hands and feet? I’m the kind of person who needs concrete examples, not just abstract ideas. And when I found a concrete example in St. Faustina’s Diary, my view toward being Christ’s hands and feet completely changed. And my hands and feet actually started to get dirty.

It is often said that God’s greatest attribute is mercy. Now, this statement is slightly inaccurate because God is not composed of parts but is unity itself, and therefore He does not possess attributes in the same way that humans do. Because of this, we can accurately say that God is not only a loving God, but He is love itself. In similar fashion, God is not a merciful God, but rather He is mercy itself. When God speaks to Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus 34, He reveals to Moses who He is. And the word which God repeatedly chooses as a description of Himself is merciful. It is clear God wanted Moses to grasp something about the mercy of God as extremely important. Hence, we come up with the not completely accurate but well-intentioned saying: God’s greatest attribute is mercy.

This is where the concrete application comes in. If mercy holds such a pre-eminent place in the nature of God, and if Christ is God, and if we are called to be Christ’s hands and feet, then we are called to be merciful. And while being Christ’s hands and feet can sometimes seem like an unattainable task, St. Faustina, by adding in the concept of mercy, has made it more realistic. The following is a prayer taken from her diary.

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“I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors’ souls and come to their rescue.

Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors’ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.

Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.

Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbor and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.

Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful, so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me. Amen.” (Diary 163)

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I believe that this prayer from St. Faustina perfectly complements and applies the earlier prayer from St. Teresa. This practical prayer has helped me immensely in understanding what it means to be Christ to the world. I may struggle to know how to be His hands, but I do know exactly what it looks like to accept a task I particularly dislike, in order to be merciful to my neighbor. I started doing a lot more dishes. I may struggle to know how to be Christ’s eyes, but I do know exactly when I judge a book by its cover, and what I can do instead.

I encourage you to pray with this passage from St. Faustina’s Diary. I pray that it blesses you, gives you inspiration, and fills you with mercy.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” – Matthew 5:7