6th Sunday of Easter
Cycle A
May 14, 2023 5pm, 8:30 and 11am
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Loneliness
Within the last two weeks, the Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report on loneliness.
The report states that even before Covid, 50% of adults in our country admitted that they experienced some level of loneliness. A key statement in the report is that loneliness is not about the quantity, but rather about the quality of connections that we have.
I remember reading something on this about ten years ago. A university of Chicago study found that college freshmen are particularly lonely in their first quarter of school.
They have roommates and plenty of peers around them. But they don’t have a good quality of connections and the result is some degree of loneliness.
But now, back to the Surgeon General’s report. The findings are that we, in all age groups, are spending less time with each other in-person than we did two decades ago, and this is one of the factors for increased loneliness.
Loneliness, or having poor connections with others, has harmful physical effects, like a higher risk for heart disease or stroke. It also has the effect of increased risk for dementia in our older population.
Loneliness causes anxiety and affects how we see others. We are likely to stop thinking that they have our interests in mind.
So, how are we to deal with loneliness? For us, the most important strategy in the report is that we cultivate a culture of connection – cultivate a culture of connection.
This means that we personally place high priority on our connection with others, especially in-person connections. And it means that our institutions, like our parish, cultivate a culture of connection in our programs and services.
“I will not leave you orphans.”
I am focusing on this topic because in today’s gospel, Jesus addresses the very human issue of loneliness.
Jesus knows that he is about to return to the Father. He senses the apostles’ anxiety about being left alone, without him.
And so, Jesus says, “I will not leave you orphans. [You will realize that] I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.”
So, Jesus promises to be with us. And then he eventually makes his presence concrete in two ways: 1) sacraments and 2) community.
1. Through Sacraments
First, our sacraments are visible, physical ways for Jesus to be with us.
We have the physical experience of Jesus’ presence through the water of baptism. We have a physical experience of the Holy Spirit through the anointing at Confirmation.
And then, here at Mass, the Eucharist is the supreme experience of God’s presence. In the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest prays Jesus’ words at the Last Supper over the bread and wine.
These gifts become the means for Jesus to be with us. The result is that when we eat the consecrated bread, we have this intimate closeness with Jesus.
We are drawn into the life of God and God lives within us. As Jesus says today, “you live in me and I live in you.”
2. Through Community
And then the second way that Jesus remains with us is through community.
Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” Sometimes we can be tempted to go it alone in life, to think that we do not need or should not need others.
It is so important not to fall into this. This attitude easily leads to isolation and loneliness.
Maybe this is why God’s action throughout the Bible is always directed to us as a people, as a community. Jesus draws the first disciples together as a community and makes this his primary way to be with us.
And so, when we connect with other persons of faith here at Mass, in faith sharing groups, in service programs, in conversations in the gathering space or over at Holy Grounds, when we do this, we are enlivened. And this happens because we are drawn out of ourselves – out of our aloneness or loneliness – and into community, into connection with one another.
Conclusion
So, Jesus addresses a troublesome human feeling – loneliness.
This is a significant issue today. And Jesus gives us some concrete help and direction for dealing with this.
