1307 Oakwood Street, Bedford VA

What a blessing it was today to join Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church in Bedford, Virginia, as the 128th church on this humbling and beautiful journey of faith.

Though I watched the online service from home, my heart felt fully present among this worshiping family. I look forward to the day I can soon join them in person.

The service began with the choir lifting their voices in such beautiful harmony that it filled the sanctuary and even my living room with reverence and peace. One of the most moving moments came when a soloist sang, “Our help is from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth.”

Those words lingered with me.

They weren’t just lyrics, they were a gentle reminder that everything I need, every ounce of strength, every flicker of hope, comes from the Lord.

Today’s Gospel reading came from Luke, where Jesus teaches His disciples to pray always without becoming weary. The priest reflected on the story of the persistent widow who kept coming before the judge, refusing to give up until her request was heard. It’s a story about perseverance, about faith that refuses to quit.

Another priest stepped forward and expanded the reflection with a message that truly made me cry. He spoke about Moses standing on the hilltop as Israel battled their enemies. As long as Moses’ hands were raised, the Israelites prevailed. But when his arms grew heavy and began to fall, the enemy gained ground. And so, two others came beside him and held his arms up until the victory was won.

He said something that gripped my heart:

“Prayer is a continuous effort, and sometimes it requires the support of others.

We all need brothers and sisters in faith to help keep our hands raised.”

As I listened, I felt tears well in my eyes because this message met me exactly where I am in life right now.

I am in a challenging season… physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

There are days when my arms grow weary, when the weight of life’s battles feels like too much to bear. But God, in His mercy, has surrounded me with people who help hold up my hands.

My family, my faith community, my friends, they have become my Aaron and Hur, just as in Moses’ story.

They are the ones who lift me when I falter, who remind me that God is still working, still fighting for me, even when I feel weak.

I thought about how often we believe that prayer must be strong, constant, unbroken, but sometimes prayer is simply whispering, “Lord, help me hold on.”

Sometimes it’s the quiet tears on the pillow, the unspoken cries of the heart.

But even those prayers, faint as they seem, are heard in Heaven.

The priest said something like, faith/prayer is not a one-time declaration, it’s a lifelong attitude.

That stayed with me. Because life will test our endurance.

There will be days when it’s easier to give up than to press on. But we are called to persevere, to trust that God’s timing and purposes are greater than our understanding.

And I began to ask myself…

Who am I holding up when their arms grow weary? Am I surrounding others in prayer the way others have surrounded me?

When God seems silent, am I still steadfast in hope, or do I let my heart grow faint?

The truth is, God never stops working, even when we can’t see the outcome. The battle belongs to Him, but He invites us to participate through faith, through prayer, through perseverance.

As the service came to a close, I found myself whispering, “Thank You, Lord.”
Thank You for meeting me right where I am.
Thank You for every person who has held me up in prayer.
Thank You for Your strength when mine runs out.

Even from my home, I felt deeply connected to the heart of this church and its message. I am reminded that faith is not found in the absence of struggle but in the perseverance of worship through it.

I am grateful beyond words for this journey, for every church, every message, every reminder that God’s grace meets us in unexpected places. Today, He met me through the story of weary hands held high and a reminder that I am never fighting alone.

May we all have the courage to pray when weary, to stand when trembling, and to lift one another up until the victory is won.