Nails+

My wife, Susan, and I were at Disney World in Orlando, Florida on her birthday. So, I decided to go with her to the nail salon and get a manicure while she had her nails done. It was a way to share in something she enjoys on her special day.
I sat down at the counter and nervously placed one hand in a bowl of warm water. Looking across the counter at me was a pleasant looking lady who asked, “Is this your first time?” I sheepishly replied, “It’s that obvious, huh?” She just smiled and told me to relax.
My wife was thrilled that I was sharing this experience with her. She kept looking over at me with this loving smile as she watched me getting a manicure. I still was not sure about this but it sure did feel pretty nice.
I had an epiphany! Nails … Togetherness … Love … Family … Sacrifice … Eucharist – Wow, all these things came together with nails, the nails of the Cross! Ok, check it out – Jesus, the perfect victim and sacrifice, gave His life for our salvation. He allowed Himself to be NAILED to the cross, completely bonded to this horrific instrument of torture and death, because He loves us that much.
The nails of His crucifixion are the bond that holds us together with Him as a one family with God, Abba. Through His salvific act, an act of great love, we are bonded together in faith. The faith that we have a share in His divinity, a share in heaven with our Father or as Jesus says, “Abba”, which actually translates more closely to Daddy – a more personal term of endearment. Jesus bridged the gap between us and our “Dad” in heaven by the cross.
As well as being bonded with Christ, through the nails of the cross, Jesus comes to us in a very real way everyday at Mass. HE comes to us spiritually and physically as enter into communion with Him during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the climax of the Mass.
Jesus doesn’t care who we are, where we are in our lives, whether we are rich or poor, what color our skin is, young or old, clergy or layperson, all He cares about is that we are living according His will and coming to Him with an open and contrite heart. He wants to meet us all face to face at the altar. How awesome is that! Our God, our Creator, our Redeemer, manifests Himself physically at every Mass and touches us in a real way.
Think about it, we touch Christ and experience Heaven on earth at every Mass. It’s a mystery that boggles the mind but a wonderful mystery it is.
All this because Jesus came to earth as a man, lifting our nature up to share in His divinity as He humbled Himself to share in our humanity, only to be nailed to the cross for our salvation. Now that is love.
So when you married folk and those who intend to be married folk share an experience together, like getting your nails down, think about how this wonderful Sacrament of Marriage fills us with grace and blessings every minute because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the nails that bind us together in one faith as one family.
Be God’s forever+