There is a story of a woman who suffered greatly out of love for a man. She and this man met, fell in love, were married and had two children. He was a good man. Then tragedy struck. He was diagnosed with depression and ended up taking his own life.
Now this woman of deep sorrow was left with two children to raise. How is she going to do this? Where will she find the strength to continue on? She found the answer in God, working through other people.
Sometimes the answer to our problems, struggles and sufferings are only a "phone call away". They are found in the support of other people who are willing to love us. Through prayer and faith God will often send someone into our lives when we need it the most, someone who will help us "carry the cross", someone who will love us unconditionally. We should pray for this.
A good way to find support is through a parish or church community. People who share faith, values and the love of God are more often than not the best of companions. God ordained for His followers to gather together as a community of faith precisely to practice their love for one another. In the Readings today the apostles were of "one heart and mind". They loved and supported one another out of love for their Lord.
As Christians, we are not only connected to others here on earth through faith in a very intimate way, we are also connected to Christ and the saints in heaven. We gather together and worship to celebrate this. We are born again from "above" as Jesus says in the Gospel today, through the Spirit given to us as a community. We too will be "lifted up" from our sufferings as we lovingly lift up and support one another.
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