The Hand That Does Not Pull Away
Updated: Sep 7
“Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him.”Mark 1:41
Contact has been made. The other person holds on a moment longer than you expected, or more tightly than the moment seems to need.
You do not pull away. You let the hand remain.
Jesus touched people, and he let people touch him. A sick man asked to be made clean. Jesus reached out and touched him. He did not keep himself at a safe distance. He also did not always decide how long the contact should last.
A hand that does not pull away says something simple, without words: you may stay connected a little longer. In grief, in fear, or in a hospital chair, that can be enough.
You do not have to tighten the hold. You do not have to turn it into a bigger gesture.
At Mass we offer one another a sign of peace. Sometimes it is only a hand held for a second. Christ comes close to us in the same way: he does not withdraw when we need him near.
Just remain. The mercy is in the not-leaving.