The old violin sat battered and worn, a relic of a forgotten time. Its strings were loose, and the wood was scarred, and the auctioneer’s voice was filled with apathy as he tried to sell it to the highest bidder. But no one wanted it; it was barely worth a dollar, the crowd murmured.

The auctioneer smiled and raised the instrument up high. “Who will start the bidding for me?” he cried out. “A dollar, a dollar… Two! Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; going for three.”

The room was quiet except for the sound of the auctioneer’s voice, until a gray-haired man emerged from the back. He walked slowly to the front and picked up the bow. The man wiped the dust from the old violin and tightened the strings until they were just right. Then, he began to play a melody pure and sweet, as sweet as a caroling angel sings.

The sound filled the room, and it was as if the violin had come alive once again. The crowd listened in amazement, moved by the man’s touch. The auctioneer’s voice broke the spell. “What am I bidding for the old violin?.. A thousand dollars, and who will make it two?” Two thousand dollars! Who will make it three? Three thousand once; three thousand, twice; And going, and gone!” he said.

The crowd cheered and cried out, stunned by the transformation of the old violin. “We don’t understand. Why has its value changed?” they asked.

And then came the reply: “The touch of the master’s hand.”

How many of us are like that old violin, battered and bruised by life’s struggles and pains? But if we dare to open our hearts to the Master’s touch, we too can be transformed, made new and whole again. And if we reach out to others, sharing the love and mercy that has touched us, then they too can know their worth and value, that they were created with a purpose and that Jesus died for them so they could receive eternal life. Let us remember the power of the Master’s touch and share it with those around us.

(Based on a story by Myra B. Welch)

Pierre-Alain Giffard
Director of Pastoral Work

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