I don’t know about you, but one question has stayed with me since Sunday's Gospel: Who is reaching?
Not everyone reaches for hope in obvious ways. Sometimes it is a visitor who quietly slips into a pew. Sometimes it is a neighbor carrying a burden they rarely speak about. Sometimes it is a family that has recently relocated to Lebanon for a new job and is looking for community. Sometimes it is a construction worker or technician who has moved here because of the opportunities created by Lilly or Meta and has left behind family, friends, and familiar routines. Sometimes it is a long-time community member trying to figure out where they belong in a rapidly changing community. Sometimes it is someone scrolling through a church website late at night, wondering if there is still a place where they will be accepted, loved for who they are and can finally “belong”.
Jesus noticed the woman who reached for the edge of his cloak when no one else did. This week, I invite us to pray for the grace to notice those who may be reaching around us—and to be the kind of church that helps them know they are seen.
You remain in my prayers each day.
Fr Christopher