And so it was, when I felt this loneliness in past years, usually around the Holidays, that I asked someone to pray with me with the very intention of straightening out my spiritual downtime. And it helped. And something else helped: a handshake and a hug!  I was chatting with a friend one day, and I told him that I was in a spiritual valley, and he said that it wouldn’t last long.., well, I knew that of course, but it’s hard to believe when you’re not feeling all that great, and I mentioned that the hardest part was that I had no one to talk to about it, who could understand, or who would even listen! Many people claim to listen, but they don’t. When there is no real compassion, and just an off-handed reply, such as: ‘Well, that’s life!", you know that they aren’t listening and they probably don’t give a hoot about your problems. But the friend I was talking to did care and he gave me a light hug, and that little pat on the shoulder did me a lot of good. That hug reminded me of a picture of Jesus on the Cross, being comforted by our Seraphic Father, St. Francis. St. Francis knew what suffering meant to Jesus... because Jesus’ wounds in Francis’s hands, feet and side weren’t given to him as a symbol: they were real wounds, and they hurt Francis every minute of the day and night. It is difficult to understand that Francis’s carrying of Christ’s wounds helped ease some of Jesus’ pain, because Francis lived about 1200 years after Jesus was crucified, but, yes. Francis did ease Jesus’s pain, just as His pain is eased when we fight temptation and do not give in to the occasion of sin!

Shaking hands and hugging is what makes people share something they have in common. When we hug or shake hands then we are sharing in the love of Christ between his children. One day I visited church in mid-afternoon to say the rosary or just sit quietly and meditate. Even though we could just as easily do this at home, the closeness to the Blessed Sacrament is the catalyst to launch us into spiritual thought. Jesus hugs us through His presence in the Tabernacle. He stilled my loneliness, and it felt peaceful.

When you go to Holy Mass and receive Communion by touching the Body of Jesus with your fingers and tongue, think about what you’re doing. Come to the realization that you’re holding the Body of Christ in your hand, that you are touching Him, and more importantly, that He’s touching you. He is shaking your hand and hugging you and He is telling you that you shouldn’t worry, that as long as you follow in His footsteps by trying to be Christ-like, by remaining free from all sins, not only the big ones, but from the little ones as well, He will take care of you for all eternity.

I pray that you’ll recognize the great gift Our Lord Jesus has given you through the sharing of the Eucharist, and that His love may change your life from one of toil and frustration, to a life of joy and understanding. That doesn’t mean that your life will now be easy but with His grace and love, all obstacles will be removed and instead of channeling your total energies to yourself, you’ll have time left over to minister to others through prayer, outreach, and example. And, next time someone needs a pat on the back, a handshake or a hug, share the love of Christ in that way, and both you and the person at the receiving end will feel strengthened and relieved.

Advent is a time of preparation. Advent prepares you for the Immanuel, for the one who is coming. It isn’t just a time of preparation for this Christmas, the Birth of Jesus, which the world celebrated 2002 years ago, but it is a time of preparation for the second coming as well. If your spiritual level is ebbing, then this is a good time to become closer to Jesus, perhaps with the help of your Confessor or Spiritual Advisor. When the inner life of your soul is healthy, then this is a time of thankfulness, so pray for others that they may reach a plateau in prayer that's right for them.

Advent, a time of preparation, is a perfect time to give something extra to Jesus. Sit quietly and meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, on a simple prayer or Scripture passage, and then be still. Give Jesus time to respond to you. As you slowly quiet down interiorly and forget about your problems and your cares, when the "self" no longer matters, then you will reach an awareness of great peace and joy. When you totally concentrate on Jesus, forgetting the world around you, and your own troubles... and thus communicate with Jesus, HE HUGS US IN HIS OWN SPECIAL WAY. I ask Him that He will visit you this Christmas too, and that, in turn, you will pass His love onto others in that special Franciscan way.

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