THE PALM COVENANT

Rising from the dead, Christ does not abandon those who have been regenerated by water and blood (cf. 1 John 5.6) but continually visits them. His presence is perceptible in the very lives of the disciples and can be seen, mysterious and real, also in their personal and community choices as well as in the signs of the Word, the Eucharist and charity. According to today’s Gospel, the coming of Jesus frees the disciples from fear and announces their victory over death. However, we would like to focus on one of his gestures. John writes that he “showed them his hands and his side” (Jn 20:20). What does this exposition mean? Of course, we want to underline the continuity between the Crucified and the Risen One. Alone? Let’s go deeper. It should be known that in the ancient world pacts between two people were frequent (David and Jonathan, for example). When the two contracting parties met, it was customary for them to raise their right hand with the palm forward to show the so-called sign of the pact. This sign was made by cutting the palm with a knife. The hand was then rubbed in the ash so that the wound healed, which remained as a permanent sign of the pact concluded. Therefore, when you raised your palm in front of your partner, you confirmed your responsibility for the agreement. As if to say: “I remember what we promised each other and I do not fail in faithfulness.” And thus see the sign of the pact on the hands of the risen Jesus. It is interesting to observe that most of the wounds of the flagellation and crucifixion were erased in his resurrection. The Gospels do not describe scars on the head or face. Yet, the hand holes are still visible. While he is in the glory of the Father, those marks on his hands are the eternal memorial of his covenant. This also makes it possible for us to raise our hands to heaven (cf. 1 Tim 2.8), walking in newness of life thanks to the Lord who has sanctified and redeemed us through his stigmata. In the hymn of praise for the feast of the apostles of the Easter season we have this very significant verse: Ostensa sibi vulnera / in Christi carne fulgida, / resurrexisse Dominum / voci fatentur publica. After seeing the wounds he showed them in the flesh of Christ, the apostles courageously confess his resurrection. It is the good news that we want to reach to the ends of the earth.

Commentary by b. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Praglia (Italy)

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves,
Prinknash Abbey