To open one’s arms is one of the most vulnerable acts of acceptance, whether in a physical or symbolic sense. It is no coincidence that our Lord chose to be sacrificed with open arms, symbolically in His willing choice, and visibly in His open arms on the Cross. Christ did not come with closed hands or a guarded heart. He came open, ready to receive the broken, the wounded, the sinner, and the outcast. As Scripture says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28, NABRE).

Saint Francis of Assisi, at one point, was repulsed by lepers, yet there came a day when the love of Christ transformed his heart to be ever more like that of his Savior. He is famously remembered for embracing and kissing a leper, seeing not merely a diseased man, but a brother. What once filled him with disgust became, by grace, an opportunity for mercy and love.

In the same way, Mother Teresa powerfully said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” That is the heart of the matter. Jesus opened His arms to the leper, the lame, the blind, and more than this, to the demon possessed, the adulterer, and the sinner. The salvation of Christ was not a reward for the righteous, but forgiveness and reconciliation for the wicked. As He says in the Gospel, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (Lk 5:31 to 32, NABRE).

This is why the Pharisees were furious. They expected Jesus, the Messiah, to condemn the sinner, judge the enemies of Israel, and reward the righteous. Yet the Healer and Messiah came instead for the sick and the broken. He came for those who needed mercy. That same spirit is beautifully reflected in the words of Pope Francis, who wrote that the Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect but food for the starving.”

Let us, then, accept our brother, and those who persecute us, with the most open of arms, in love and truth, showing them the love of Christ so that they may see the face of mercy and repent. This is the shape of Christian love. This is the posture of Christ on Calvary. And this is why our Lord tells us, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5:44, NABRE). May we live with open arms, so that through us others may encounter the love of Christ in us.

References

Francis. (2013). Evangelii gaudium [Apostolic exhortation]. The Holy See.

Mother Teresa. (n.d.). Quote widely attributed in published collections: “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Crossroads Initiative.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (n.d.). Matthew 5. New American Bible, Revised Edition.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (n.d.). Matthew 11. New American Bible, Revised Edition.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (n.d.). Luke 5. New American Bible, Revised Edition.

Thomas of Celano. (n.d./2000 web ed.). First life of St. Francis of Assisi. The Holy See.