Gospel MK 1:29-39
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee.
“What if you grasped my hand?”
What if you grasped my hand as I open my bent fingers toward you from my restlessness in the nighttime so to shake me out of my resistance to rest in you and what if I finally found you in my sleepwalking here on earth or what if you took me by the hand to guide me into a deep peace where worry melts away and we are in union or what if you bend down to listen to me cry out for the sound of your voice and the warmth of your cheek or what if you lead me unto a path of my delight where all my doubt and sin could be trampled down and harvested and burned and forgotten about or what if you took my hand and I could finally realize that you have led me through unknown forests of denial and uncertainty my entire life and I was simply not aware and I am finally waking up to how you have loved me or what if you take me by the hand and my heart finds what I most desire and the healing that will bring me real freedom and joy and what if you bend down from the heavens and lift me up and I learn from you finally how to bend down to the needs of others and help lift up people I would rather not find at my fingertips and we finally learned to walk together on the earth where there are no separations of rich and poor or gay and straight or hopeless and joyful or powerful and marginalized or what if I finally stopped clenching my fists and raised my hand to you to receive you half way and I fell into your embrace and I finally quit squirming and I fell asleep in your arms?
Broken But Not Divided 
An encounter with Love that is life-changing! Isn’t this what our hearts yearn for each day! Beautifully written!
That is so beautiful. Thank you. We are battle weary and the journey has been long, but he took her by the hand and that made all the difference. HE lifted her up and her joy was in then serving. The solidarity is a major component of deeper peace.
Profound and beautiful. Thank you
That stream of consciousness form of sifting through all of the mind-swirl is so authentic–to be able to find resolution is pure and only GRACE. Thanks—A