"Luke Alone"

Last week, one of the readings for Mass had St. Paul writing about his struggles and how almost everyone had deserted him. He says there that "Luke alone is with me". We know very little about St. Luke, but this statement is what God chose to give to us. In St. Paul's time of trial and difficulty, St. Luke was someone who stayed with him. Physical presence is a powerful thing that we often take for granted.

This got me thinking about how lonely our society is today. We have a million ways to communicate, but we rarely do. We have an overload of social media, but we are anti-social. With cars and planes, we have the ability to be together much faster than in the past, yet we are isolated from each other. What has happened? Our technology has not brought us closer it has divided us.

The simple reality of what it means to be "with" someone needs to be regained. I do not mean just a warm body in the same room. I am referring to intentional and purposeful presence. I am speaking about patiently staying with someone who is lonely and giving them your time and attention. Think about whom God has put in your life, and ask yourself what you might be able to do to be "present". It may be that you "alone" will be the only one with them.