John W. Peck, 34, is a Jesuit priest at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Pennsylvania, where he attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. He has taught philosophy at Loyola University in Baltimore, Md. His assignment at Holy Trinity is his first as a priest.

A priest’s hands hold special significance for Catholics. In the ordination ceremony, the bishop anoints the newly ordained priest’s hands and says, “The Father anointed our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. May Jesus preserve you to sanctify the Christian people and to offer Sacrifice to God.” After the ordination Mass, people approach the new priest, asking him to place his hands on their head and to bless them. Some will also kiss his hands. I was ordained a priest in June, and people are still asking me to bless them in this manner. Catholics regard a priest’s hands as holy because each day at Mass the priest handles the Eucharistic flesh of Jesus, eating it, and giving it to others to eat.

For me, Pope Francis is first and foremost a great priest.

For this reason, he understands how important the human hand is for genuine encounter with other persons. Shortly after becoming Pope, he used his hands to embrace eight-year-old Dominic Gondreau, who suffers from cerebral palsy. He used his hands to touch the face of Vinicio Riva, the victim of a rare and incurable skin disease called neurofibromatosis; he has also used them to wash the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday. On each of these occasions (and on countless others), Pope Francis is always extending his priestly hands to those whom many people would rather forget about.

Not so long ago I was chatting on the street with a homeless man who stopped me when he saw I was priest. I’m a bit of a germophobe, so when it came time to part, I inwardly hesitated to shake the man’s hand. Then I remembered a video I had seen, in which Pope Francis told Christians that, when we give alms to the poor, we shouldn’t throw money in a cup or on the street in front of the person; rather, we should touch the hand of the person receiving our gift.

The memory of the Pope’s words helped me shake the man’s hand with a firm grip.

Later I recalled a homily in which the Pope explained that Christians serve the poor because the poor are “the flesh of Christ.” Surely, the same reasoning explains Pope Francis’ concern for all those it would be convenient to forget – the unborn, immigrants, and the elderly. When we welcome them, we touch the flesh of Christ and receive the grace flowing from it.

I look forward to Pope Francis’ visit to Washington because I think it will strengthen me in my priesthood. From the Pope’s example, I will continue to learn how the grace I receive at Mass leads me to touch with my hands the flesh of Christ clothed in many distressing disguises.

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