God Is With Us!

In the very first chapter of the Gospel According to St. Matthew, when Joseph is told that Mary is with child through the action of the Holy Spirit, he is asked to name the boy "Jesus," and told of his foster son, "et vocabunt nomen eius Emmanuhel quod est interpretatum Nobiscum Deus." My friends, let us take encouragement that we have the word of the angels themselves that Jesus is our Emmanuel, our "God-with-us," or "Our Divine Companion." Sometimes, in the stresses and challenges of daily life, we might feel as though we are walking this earth alone. We might feel as though there is truly no one who knows us as we really are and still loves us. Even if we are blessed with family members and dear friends who care about us, there are probably times when we doubt their affection toward us, and in those hours, life can be so lonely and so seemingly unkind.

For those of us who are gay, our acquaintance with loneliness often begins at an early age. As a rule, most of us grow up in families with parents and siblings who are straight, and as we make the transition from children to young adults, and first become aware of our romantic desires and interests, we often have no one with whom to share them. The teenage years are difficult under the best of circumstances, but for many gay people, they are years of terrible isolation and self-doubt. The suicide rate among gay teens is quite high, as is the abuse of alcohol and drugs, and other self-destroying behaviors that are rooted in a flight from pain.

Oh my Jesus, look with kindness and tenderness upon all gay people, especially those who are feeling sad and lonely this day. It pleased you for the angels to call you "God With Us," and for two thousand years, you have been loved and honored here on earth as "Our Emmanuel." My Lord, look at the world we live in today, and see all the suffering that afflicts your children! In your mercy, let every one of us feel in the depths of our souls that you are with us, and that we are not alone! Help us to see that you are with us in good times and bad, in our youth and in our old age, and in our prosperity and our poverty. No matter how we reject you or ignore you out of our own boundless ignorance, you will never abandon any of us! The malice that we all carry in our hearts, the moral sickness we spread throughout your Good Creation, is strong, but it will never triumph over your Love!

Jesus Christ, My Lord and Savior, You Who Are God With Us, heal me of all that displeases you, and guide me along the path you have laid out before me. Take away my loneliness and my self-doubt, and give me the grace to know of your infinite love for me. Let this knowledge flood into my mind, my heart, and my soul, that I may ever say with joy, "Jesus, I am yours! Speak, for your faithful servant is listening!"