Feeling Alone

It is amazing that in a country with so many people, someone can truly feel alone. Is it because they isolate themselves? No. For many, they can be alone in a crowd because no one sees them. Maybe a spouse has been talked down to so often that they don’t see they have value. No one seems to understand or encourage them. They feel alone. Then there is the child that has all sorts of gadgets (or maybe just a phone). Their parents are content to let them entertain themselves, but there is no real interaction. That child may be free to do as they please but still feel alone. You have the worker in the factory or be part of the office team, but you arrive, do your job, and leave, wondering if anyone would even notice if you didn’t show up. Alone. You might be a shut in from a church, but over time, they have forgotten about you. No phone call. No visit. No card. Alone. There’s the kid that doesn’t fit in, the individual with disabilities, the person who lost everything through rough circumstances... all alone. I’m not saying that anyone of us can make it all right. Some “imprisonments” are of their own doing. What I am saying is that maybe we can make a difference in the life of just one of them. God talks about a shepherd and his sheep. As believers, we are called to be both shepherd and sheep. Sheep in need of the care of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. A shepherd, in obedience to God, that takes care of his children... ministering to those in church but also reaching out to the lost souls seeking a better way. One of today’s readings talked about God Himself coming to take care of His people... as a shepherd cares for his sheep. Jesus is talking about restoring them and bringing them back to himself. He speaks of ruling in justice, punishing the sheep who make it harder on all the others... who only look after their own wants. The one’s that push and shove, seeking their own way at all costs will surely face God’s judgement. When He spoke of bringing the sheep home, He included all those that were or felt alone. When life runs you over and everything seems so unfair, remember that the Good shepherd sees you... you are not alone... He comforts his own. Father, in the midst of a world that seems to be marching to a different tune, fill our hearts with a song of hope and praise. Amen