Homily Our Lady of Lourdes (Genesis 2:18-25) “God Doesn’t Want Us to be Alone.”
Homily Our Lady of Lourdes (Genesis 2:18-25) “God Doesn’t Want Us to be Alone.”
As we have lived through the past year, the truth of the words we hear in Genesis come to us, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” We have probably spent a lot of time alone at home during the last twelve months. Before the pandemic, having some solitude might have been something that we craved. But in the situation we are in now, we do not choose to be by ourselves. Many are forced to be by themselves.
We are seeing the results. We have an increase in mental illness. We have a situation where people are fighting many addictions. Public health experts tell us that the number one health problem in the United States is not COVID, heart disease, or cancer. The number one thing that leads to poor health in our country is loneliness.
We see creatures who do live by themselves most of their life and then we have animals that live in herds, flocks and groups. We call such animals social. Humans are a social species. We need to interact with people in order to feel healthy.
We know that pets can help with loneliness. I lived alone for about 20 years and during that time I had a dog. He was a great companion and was a friend in many ways. He was always glad to see me. But he could not completely take the place of human interaction.
We see that idea portrayed in the reading from Genesis. Adam cannot ever be completely happy living on his own in the garden. He needs a family. When another person enters his life is really uplifted. We have people that we are not at home with and we have friends that we treasure, but no one is an island as the saying goes. We need support and love in our lives.
This is the truth that is proclaimed for us in the first lesson today.
Reflection Questions:
- What pets have I had in my life? How were they a comfort to me?
- What has been the most difficult aspect of the last year? Who are the people that I have leaned on?
Dear Parishioners,
Remember to bring in your palms this Sunday so that they may be burned for the ashes we will use on Ash Wednesday. Things will be a little different this year in that we will be sprinkling ashes rather than tracing a cross on people’s head. This is to protect our health.
Lent is less than a week ahead. This is the time to make our Lenten plan for spiritual growth. We will have extra Masses and devotions and a book discussion. Hopefully, we all can partake in some of these activities. Be sure to register online for Ash Wednesday services and watch for other services to be listed.
The main thing we need to do is to intensify our efforts to live as Christ did, to try to love God and our neighbor. Let’s prayerfully approach this time of penance.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark