Studies tell us that young people, typically characterized by a mixture of both fragility and youthful joy, instead are reporting a worrisome level of fear and hopelessness. The elderly are said to be experiencing what is called an epidemic of loneliness. The resulting questions flowing from the anguish of modern life become very real for many people.
The Catholic Church, through the Second Vatican Council, summarized these questions in its teaching that; “Though mankind is stricken with wonder at its own discoveries and its power, it often raises anxious questions about the current trend of the world, about the place and role of man in the universe, about the meaning of its individual and collective strivings, and about the ultimate destiny of reality and of humanity.” (Gaudium et Spes, 3).
With the widespread rejection of — or at least indifference to — God by many in modern society, something natural to us has been rejected. Our understanding of ourselves as human beings, as the highest element of this created world, becomes dimmed, even lost for some. As a result, it is no wonder that people can feel lost, afraid, and vulnerable.
Our faith reminds us again and again that we have been made by God who loves us. Even in this world damaged by sin, the love of God is stronger than evil, than loneliness.
We are strengthened and comforted by the knowledge that the infinity of God allows Him to know each of us personally and to the depth of our heart. Because God loves us, His glance into our hearts rejoices in the good that He finds there. But His love is not limited to our good. Instead, because God’s love is true, it is also forgiving. God sees our sins, but His mercy always awaits our efforts to repent and turn back.
One spiritual writer compared the sinful elements of life that touch each of us to being ill or wounded in a hospital — God does not simply go to the sides of hospital beds of those who are good and recovering. Rather, He stops at the sides of those who need Him most to adjust their blankets, reset their pillows, make them comfortable. All because God wants us to be truly happy and fulfilled. And that comes from loving Him in return.
Our practice of the faith — from the internal act of belief, to the participation in the sacraments, to living a moral life taught by Jesus and His Church — puts us in touch with what we were made for. Loneliness is answered by God’s presence welcomed within us, and often by the presence of others who share that faith. We then are able to recognize in ourselves a sense of worth and the mission God has given to each of us in this life.
When we have love of God, it should bring us to a further deep consolation. To that love, we join an attitude of trusting Him. Unlike Adam and Eve who fled from God when they recognized their sin, we stand with Mary who accepted God’s will with love. We join too with Peter who, though he horribly denied even knowing Christ, turned back to carry out God’s mission and give his life in sacrificial love.
We are called to faith. We are called to strengthen those who are doubting. We have been made to spread the faith and to evangelize the culture and our world. That is why faith abolishes our loneliness and our fears. God is with us.
