In today’s first reading, notice how often the crippled man sat at the gate. The reading says the man sat by the gate “every day.” Who knows how often people walked past the man. Maybe someone helped out every few weeks or once in a while, but people mostly walked past him. It took a unique moment for someone to see him in a life changing way. In this case it was Peter and John walking by, spreading God’s word, and healing him.
In a similar way, this pandemic is a unique moment in our lives that pushes to see the crippled in our own lives. Who do you “walk by” every day? It might be a relative that you have not talked to in a while. It might be someone that you have fallen out with. It might be a cause or non-profit that needs your donation right now. It might be supporting a local artist who is struggling right now. We are intimately interconnected in a web of family, neighborhood, culture, and friendship. Reach out across that network to help others.
Stay Safe,
Mark