Well Said: On the Palm Branches

Let's spread the thoughts and desires of our hearts under his feet like garments, so that entering us with the whold of hhis being, he [Jesus] can draw the whole of our being into himself, and place the whole of his being within us. ...

Receive him, then, with open, outstretched hands, for it was on his own hands that he sketched you. Receive the one who laid your foundations on the palms of his hands. Receive him, for he took upon himself all that is ours except in sin, so he could destroy the sin that is ours in the sinless nature that is his.

St. Andrew of Crete,
Oration 9 on the Palm Branches

I read this in A Year with the Saints by Paul Thigpen. I got to the end of that book and just turned back to the beginning and began rereading it a page per day. It beats me how those saints can say things that hit me right between the eyes, especially when I don't recall reading them the first time through the book.

In this case, St. Andrew of Crete provided me with some really lovely images for reflection, leading to thoughts about Jesus himself. I thought you might like them also.