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[In
the temple,] there was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of
Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having
lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a
widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but
worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming
forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the
child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
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"I
walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever
known. Don’t know where it goes, but it’s home to me
and I walk
alone. I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams
where the city sleeps and I’m the only one and I walk
alone. My shadow’s the only one that walks beside
me. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. Till
then, I
walk alone."
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According
to the evangelist Luke, Jesus was
presented in the temple of
Jerusalem at the beginning of his earthly life, and one of the people
who witnessed it was the
prophetess Anna. It is the only time in the Gospels that we hear of
her. Like all holy Hebrew women, she was waiting
for
someone who would fulfill her life and
enable her to die with the satisfaction of having found what she wanted
in life. She was lonely, longing for the redemption of her race. She
realized that her wait was over as she gazed on the child Jesus.
Loneliness is one of those realities that must be experienced before it can really be understood. The person in Green Day’s song apparently has experienced the reality. The group does not say it exactly, but one is led to believe that the person in the song is lonely because of something that he has done with a relationship in the past. It was a dream that he had, but something happened, and now the dream is no longer. And so he is lonely: he walks a “lonely road.” Loneliness continues to be a problem for all of us who can often find nothing to do but occupy ourselves with trivialities designed to waste time. Furthermore, it is even a problem for those who are "busy," because when the sports are finished or the activities are over or the studies are done, the feeling of boredom can set in. Loneliness can be understood as a disease that can cause great harm and even lead one to question the importance of life itself. What brings it about? One answer might be the fact that we often become so wrapped up in ourselves that we believe that there is no one who loves us or who cares for us. And perhaps one of the ways to overcome loneliness is to realize how much we are cared for by others. We are all hoping that someone will find us, as the person in Green Day’s song desires, and for the person of faith, for the "Anna’s" among us, we have such a person in Jesus Christ. The person who manages to turn to him can never be lonely. |
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THOUGHT
What are the principal outcomes of
loneliness in a person’s life?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, we believe that your Son will interact with people
who turn to him. In times of loneliness in our lives, give us the
grace to turn to him in prayer, and realize that together with so many
others in our lives, he truly cares for us. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
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