Emmanuel, God with us

There are times in my life when I have felt alone, isolated, abandoned. We all have, I am sure. We all make promises to our loved ones to always be there for them no matter what. We make promises at milestone events: marriage, baptisms, confirmations, during serious illnesses or when we receive life-shattering news. But too often, despite our best intentions and our best efforts, divorce, family estrangement, mental health challenges, lack of faith, and even death can cause us to break those promises.

We have all fallen short and missed the mark when it comes to keeping our word. When others let us down, we feel alone, isolated and abandoned. When we let our loved ones down, they feel the same way. When we let God down, how does God feel? God continues to love us, without reservation and without condition. God has demonstrated throughout scripture and throughout history that we are never alone, we are never forsaken. We might not always realize it, but God is beside us, in front and behind us, within us. All the time. Remembering the sacred, constant presence of God can help us to not feel so alone, isolated or abandoned.

O ever-present God, help us to remember that you are always with us. Amen. — LAC