The priest went to visit the home of a young woman whose deceased husband Michael had been buried the week before. They had only been married for three months when he had contracted the covid virus and died. After severe complications, and very suddenly, he died, leaving her a grieving broken widow facing a dark lonely future.

As he entered the house, the tension rose immediately. There was an elderly woman sitting at a table her face looking very concerned. Her hand was caressing the shoulder of the young widow who was also sitting at the table. There was a glass of sherry in front of her. The widow looked up for answers to the priest and snapped at the pastor.
‘Where is your God now?’ she demanded. ‘I’ve pray to him and all I get is silence.
You preached about his loving presence in our lives especially in times of trouble. I’m in trouble now and where is God? You talked about “His Everlasting Arms” surrounding us. Where are they now?’

With tears in his eyes, the pastor responded through trembling lips touching the hands of the older woman’s arms.
‘They are here,‘ he said. ‘They are around you even now. These are the hands of your God!’

We are all meant to be God’s loving presence, hand and feet for others in their time of need.

c/f/ Brendan McGuire, Seeds for the soul, www.columba.ie