The Real Epidemic of Our Day

It's hard to dissect fact from fiction when it comes to the coronavirus (COVID-19). How bad will it be? Should we cancel mission trips? Should we only offer Communion in the hand? All of these questions (and perhaps some that we might keep to ourselves) preoccupy us this Lent.

It's unsettling.

One issue that isn't in dispute is the epidemic of loneliness in 2020. This applies to young people and to adults. As I look at my own siblings, I'm not sure that they have many friends. Great people, just going through life alone. Thankfully, it doesn't take that many friends to make for a strong network.

Mother Theresa spoke of this often while she was alive. Worse than physical poverty is the absence of friendship with others. Former campus minister Marcel LeJeune also wrote about this as a serious issue for Catholics. Word on Fire published a piece last week about reclaiming friendship and it's spot on.

How many friends do you have? How are you making friendship-training a point of emphasis in your ministry? Without a spirit of intentionality, the epidemic of loneliness will only get worse.

P.S. If you're looking for a new resource on bringing the Gospel to others, be sure to check out Marcel LeJeune's new book, The Contagious Catholic: the Art of Practical Evangelization.