By Fr. Justin Fulton
Let me share a quick story that happened to me last Sunday, Mother’s Day.
In the late morning I decided to drive from Lincoln to my hometown of Auburn to say ‘hi’ to Mom and Dad. Our house on 16th Street is about 70 miles southeast of Lincoln. So I hopped in my little Hyundai and zipped on down Highway 2 to 75 and turned south.
Right about Julian corner, near St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, I called up one of my favorite restaurants growing up and ordered lunch for Mom and Dad. I picked up some fried mushrooms, a burger, and some chicken strips and headed home. I parked the car in the drive, safely picked up the food, left it at the doorstep, peeked my head in the house where I grew up for about 30 seconds and said ‘hi’ to Dad and ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ to mom. After that 30-second visit I was back in the Hyundai and on my way back to Lincoln.
It was probably about Peru corner that I became angry.
Both of my folks are pretty health-compromised and really can’t take in company during this pandemic.
I’m tired of this pandemic. I’m tired of social distancing. I’m tired of driving 70 miles to see the two who brought me into this world for 30 seconds. But we march on by God’s grace and I am grateful for the blessing to still have parents on this earth.
It struck me the amount of loneliness Mom and Dad must be living with. And the amount of loneliness that is in this world today.
Our efforts at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska have been hampered as well. We are still giving out pre-packaged groceries, rental and utilities cash assistance, elderly grocery delivery, and all of our typical social services, as well as telehealth counseling for clients statewide. But the human impact—the human touch, the conversations, the smiles, and the time to be with one another has been severely affected.
Mother Teresa once said, “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody... I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” This is true. Humans were made for community. God Himself is a community of persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Satan loves it when we are isolated because we do not experience the love of others, the love of community. Despair draws in. Loneliness. Anxiety. Depression.
If you are alone, depressed, or anxious know that we have the doctors and counselors at Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center ready to help you.
Please pray for our clients who we normally get to interact with face-to-face when they receive a sack lunch, their groceries, or when they are simply coming to our offices to pray and chat with Jesus and our staff and volunteers.
Look out for one another. Call and chat with someone who is lonely. Take safety precautions and especially reach out to the elderly and shut-ins. Pray unceasingly to our loving Heavenly Father.
Thank you for your faith in Christ and thank you for your prayers and support of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska! May God bless us all.
