Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - August 25, 2024
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from you.”
A Reflection for the non-elderly.
“The worst thing in this world isn’t illness like cancer, but loneliness.” (Mother Teresa) That loneliness is the lot of many elderly people. Whether they are in a nursing home or living alone in their own, sitting alone by the hour… It’s sadness and a feeling of abandonment often ending with ‘what is there to live for?’ These people are your/our parents or grandparents.
Grandchildren or children or friends can enliven these solitary hours with attention and love. Imagine what it would mean to hear a friendly voice or see the face of a loved one! The latter may be difficult to arrange or ‘necessarily’ rare or prohibited because of distance. But what about a phone call/Facetime which gives a feeling that punctuates the loneliness and lasts long in the memory?
Couldn’t this become a habit, once or twice a day, once a week, etc., depending upon how solitary and lonely the individual may be? Or, depending on how “busy” the caller is. A few words like: how are you, how was dinner, are you feeling better? They give the lonely person the feeling that ‘someone cares for me, someone loves me’.
You might think that they could watch TV or surf the Internet. But can any of these equal a voice which tells the solitary that she/he is loved, cared for and thought of?
OK; they can pray, meditate, cherish God's presence. Certainly! But doesn’t God's presence become real through Bob, Kelly, Ann or. . . ? Some kindness, a voice, the touch of another human being. Too busy? Would a 5-minute phone call ruin your day? harm your business? – ‘I was lonely, and you visited me.’
That call or visit you make may well be the most worthwhile action you do that day.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
