As I reflect on a Eucharistic Church, I believe we have “missed the mark,” as a church, in teaching and living the truth of ourselves in light of the gift of life and the reality of who we are in Christ. So many of our brothers and sisters, who are utterly empty of hope and belonging, are turning to violent means of ending their own lives and sometimes taking the lives of others. We say we are children of God and we have dignity because of this truth. Yet, so many of us walk on the road to Emmaus with our heads down, lost in our own worlds, not recognizing our fellow humans with Christ within and in our midst.

Walking forward in the communion line as if on my road to Emmaus, I focus my attention on “the source and summit of the Christian life.” So focused, I neglect who is in my periphery, the people of God, the community of faith. I pass the people I don’t know or barely know and I think about my sin, my unworthiness, my silent sufferings, not wanting to be bothered with the concerns of others: the loneliness, anxiety and despair that are rampant in our world. So intent, tunnel-visioned even, I ignore Christ that walks before and behind me, including the ones on the margins of our churches and our world. Pulled forward by our fears and remnants of faith, we move as if alone and isolated, lost in our newsfeeds and conspiracies. According to Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, chronic loneliness and disconnection effects over half of the people in our country. This then leads to a loss of hope. Reality, truth and connection are hard to come by. Yet I know where a sense of belonging can begin.