Many of our youth know of the pain that comes from alienation--from society in general and with peer groups in particular. They walk their own path feeling like they cannot escape from the isolation. In a word they feel disconnected and isolated--and that is not what God wants for us. Those who suffer, regardless of age, can struggle to find the point of connection.
As I walked this morning I thought about this and wondered about the truth of this claim.
Do we suffer because we have been told by 'those out there' that we are on our own? What role does the covid-19 pandemic play in not only creating this disconnection, but what role does it play in fostering it? Is there a way back to connection and unification with God and in the local church?
We all know that we are better together. I have not met a person during this covid-19 pandemic who does not affirm that we are better together. They long for that 'togetherness' that comes from being the church who gathers. And yet so many of us do not know how to re-tie ourselves back into the community or into the church.
As we physically suffer, and as we emotionally suffer, we need something to ground us in a common shared experience. Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff fwrites these helpful words for us as we look around to find how we can be together again:
"To say 'I believe in God' means that there is Someone who surrounds me, embraces me everywhere, and loves me, Someone who knows me better than I do myself, deep down in my heart, where not even my beloved can reach, Someone who knows the secret of all mysteries and where all roads lead. I am not alone in this open universe with all my questions for which no one offers me a satisfactory answer. That Someone is with me, and exists for me, and I exist for that Someone and in that Someone's presence. Believing I God means saying: there exists an ultimate tenderness, an ultimate bosom, an infinite womb, in which I can take refuge and finally have peace in serenity of love. If that is so, believing in God is worthwhile; it makes us more ourselves and empowers our humanity [and brings us together]."
For all our choices, and all our societal pressures and expectation, and all that we hope will reconnect us with each other, it is often the simplest choices, the most foundational, that help us come together when we suffer and be the Body of Christ.
Do you feel you suffer? Alone or in public?
If so, perhaps Boff's words might provide a helpful way to reconnect?
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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