"I have carved you on the palm of my hand." Isaiah 49:16
During the Sacrament of Marriage, a ring is exchanged between bride and groom. It is significant that the wedding ring is always placed on the third finger of the left hand as it is believed that the vein in this finger leads directly to the heart.
Taking that image of a wedding ring, compare it to the hands of Christ nailed to the cross. Those wounds are so deep that even after His resurrection they remain eternally in His hands. Consider that each one of us is the bride of Christ and His wounds are the ring that signifies His eternal love for us; the wounds that lead directly to His Most Sacred Heart. It is here that He holds us; inside the wound in the palm of His hand where we will forever remain bound to His Heart. We are never to be forsaken, but forever to be loved.
You are carved into those wounded hands of love, carved with a nail piercing the flesh, and drawn deeply into His Heart where His love will forever flow for you alone, His most beloved bride.
This is beautiful. I don't think I have ever heard about the significance of the placement of the wedding ring. I will always think about this when I see the wounded hands of Christ. I love the term beloved...I always have.
ReplyDeleteAnne, First time I came across the connection between the verse from Isaiah (49:16), and the pierced hands of Christ. Kind of knocks me backward a few steps mentally and emotionally, in a good way.
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