Hello GVM Community, and Grace to You! Mr. Tom Nash was unavailable to do a reflection this month, so I’m filling in for him. He’ll be back for his February 20th Reflection.
Before I begin today’s reflection, I would like to remind you to explore the GVM website, where we have posted a video link to “EWTN Live with Father Mitch Pacwa”. He had an hour long interview with our own Father Maurice, and it’s well worth the time to watch.
I know way too many people who have had industrial or home accidents, and have had fingers and parts of hands removed or badly damaged. Even my own Grandma Clara, may she rest in peace, had a finger demolished by a snow blower in Cleveland. Table saws, spinning equipment, and similar equipment are dangerous, and if you work around them long enough, they’ll bite you.
After the mental and physical recovery, the next step is to figure out how to deal with a new situation with the hand, for doing day to day activities. Additionally, what are they to do when it comes time to “shake hands”, or use the hand in a way that exposes it for all to see? Often times, the person is afraid or scared to expose the hand. The man in the Temple in today’s gospel may have been in the same predicament.
When I read the Gospel today, I think of his gnarled, curled, twisted hand, or perhaps a hand damaged at his job. And I also think that it’s weird, for lack of a better word, for a Bible story to focus on a gnarled hand, when curing lepers, making the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf speak, and demons get ejected from people are way more “miraculous”. The Bible doesn’t waste words, so this story is there for a reason.
When I think of stretching out a hand, I think of all the positives of such an action. We welcome someone by offering our hand, and stretching it out for a hand shake (pre-Covid, at least). When someone falls down, we stretch out a hand to help pick them up. If it’s slippery somewhere, we offer a hand to support someone. We can hold a hand to show love or friendship or emotional support. We can lend a helping hand when someone is in need. If we take the story literally, and suddenly we can offer a welcome, help, or some sort of support, what a game changer! With the help of Jesus, and his faith, this man in the Temple can be fundamentally transformed. And with a non-withered hand, he will no longer be embarrassed to “reach out”. Even if our hands aren’t damaged, we now have permission to lend a hand, and do these wonderful things. I also think of how often Jesus provides us a proverbial “hand”…through every day miracles.
Maybe the withered hand story isn’t so weird after all? Perhaps this miracle hits home more powerfully than others, as we all need to get much better at giving a hand to our neighbors. At GVM, we will continue to try to reach out across cultures, while honoring our Catholic Faith.
