Each week in my mailbox I am deluged with circulars, credit card applications, and assorted flyers that make their way directly to the recycle bin without passing go. As I deposit the papers in the brown paper bag, I inevitably pause when two lonely faces call out to me from the “Have you seen us?” mailer.
I read their names, study their ages, and ponder for a moment where these sad stray souls are. What is their story? What family members are left at home coping with their loss in the agony of pretending to have hope?
I run my thumb over the two faces, making the sign of the cross, saying a hopeful prayer that God keeps them safe and that he brings them home, wherever home may be.
God arrives in the mailbox, calling us to seize the opportunity of prayer.