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An explanation of the Good News is always at your fingertips

By Bishop Michael O. Jackels

Today you are offered a tool to be able to respond spontaneously to that all important question: “What is the Good News?” That tool is your hand.

Pinky

Your pinky, the smallest and weakest of your fingers, useless, really, represents the “poor” to whom Jesus preached the Good News. The signs and wonders worked by Jesus, and later by his disciples, were clear indicators of the onset of messianic times, the time of fulfillment. And among these signs, the one that was significant enough to convince John the Baptist – when he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one?” – is that the poor have the Good News preached to them (Lk 7:22). Not the materially poor, but those who knew they were small and weak, useless, really, to ever pay the debt due their sins: “I need a savior!”

Ring Finger

Your ring finger, the one on which spouses normally wear a symbol of their espousal, represents the wedding of divinity with humanity in the person of Jesus, the same which is promised to his disciples. For our salvation, moved only by love, the Eternal Son of God became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. This is the message the angel proclaimed to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth: “True, you could never deliver yourselves from sin and death, but never fear, for I proclaim to you Good News, the ancient prophecy is fulfilled, in the city of David a savior is born for you who is Messiah and Lord!” (Lk 2:10). He did this just to have a body in which to suffer and die for our sins, and to show us in the flesh how far his love for us would take him.

Middle Finger

Your middle finger, the one that rises higher than the others, represents Jesus being raised up on the cross, giving himself up for us, thereby canceling the debt of sin. But it also represents his being raised from the dead, conquering sin and death, and opening the gates of heaven for us. Here even more ancient prophecies are fulfilled, that the Messiah must suffer, that a descendent of David will sit upon his throne and not undergo corruption, thereby making it even clearer that Jesus is the promised Messiah and Lord!

Index Finger

Your index finger, the one often used to summon people, represents the invitation issued to all to hear the Good News, but also to respond: “Repent and believe in the gospel” said Jesus to his listeners (Mk 1:15). No one can remain neutral to it; this is an invitation that has consequences: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” says Jesus, “whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:16). This has tremendous bearing, not only on our response to the Good News, but also on whether or not we share it with others and the integrity of the message we share.

Thumb

Finally your thumb, used to gesture to someone to “get out of there” represents the new way of thinking, speaking and acting introduced by believing in the Good News. After Peter’s powerful Pentecost sermon, his listeners asked “what must we do now?” to which he responded that they must repent, be baptized, and save themselves from this corrupt generation, in other words, to “get out of there”. Christians still live in the world, but hopefully not of the world, not yielding to cravings of the flesh or enticements of the eye, not living a life of empty show, like the scribes and Pharisees, and not dividing our hearts with love of money.

To sum up: If we admit our need for God and believe that Jesus is God become man, who suffered the punishment our sins deserved, and who rose from the grave, then, good news: our faith, and our way of life that proves it is saving faith, will lead us to the fullness of happiness, peace and life in heaven. Let’s call this “pinky power” – knowing that the power of salvation starts with the acknowledgement: I need.