Ordinary Time 
Pause
“One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself […]
You are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”
from No Future Without Forgiveness by Desmond Tutu (1999)
Listen
Then the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.”
Genesis 2:18
Think
Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever asked where help is when you needed it the most? Have you felt the pressures of life weighing on you and there was no one to talk to? These situations are a part of life, but there is good news! God knows that we need help sometimes. That’s why we have community.
Perhaps you have everything figured out, you’re doing pretty good juggling life on your own, and you do not need anyone’s help. Do you ever ponder why you need God or any human being at all?
Although we can handle many tasks by ourselves, it doesn’t mean that we should do everything on our own. God saw that the human was alone without another suitable companion and considered this not a good thing. God created human beings to be helpers to one another. This is the beginning of community. One of the purposes of community is to fill the gaps of individual loneliness and isolation. We are to be together when we need help, when do not need help, when we feel overwhelmed, and when we feel overjoyed.
Crystal Rook
Pray
Lord, I thank you for being with me each day and when I feel alone. Help me to be there for others and to help close the gaps of isolation. Lord, help me to ask for help when I need it as well and to be a helping hand in my community in ways that will be nourishing for the persons asking for help. Amen.
Go
Open our eyes to see everyone in our community.
Increase our hearing to listen to your creation.
Bless our hands to help those who need our help in our community.
Open our hearts to receive everyone in our community.
Teach us to be in community.
Water and Grow us into Ubuntu – the essence of being human.
