One of the things those of us learn when going through very hard times is the fact that one loses friends.
Pain and hardship are seen by some Catholics as the measles-something they will catch if they are around these. One discovers, sadly, and in some grief, who one's real friends are or are not in calamities.
Fair-weather friends tend to be those who only want to be friends if they can gain something from the relationship, or think that what they are gaining are material benefits.
I have found out recently that I have been dropped by middle-class minded people who are not interested in understanding or sharing pain and suffering.
Ironically, always, it is the poor who reach out, most commonly, although I have one friend, who is wealthy, who helps her friends consistently when there are needs and actually supports a poor friend almost totally in California. This good woman is not a Christian.
So why do Christians bail ship in hardship? When I was sick with cancer, my only visitors were one of my non-Christian neighbors, one woman from work, and some lovely seminarians.
Catholics need to reach out to those who are ill, in trouble, poor. We have no choice but to see and treat all like Christ.
Today, I met two humble Mexican nuns who work in the kitchen here, belonging to an order which serves working in manual labor in seminaries. They work here and in Rome. These nuns radiate the love and grace of God, and shine like little, hidden saints.
They promised to pray for me. I was very touched by their real compassion. They are poor. They trust in God.
So, too, one who goes through any type of suffering must trust in God. But, a few hugs would be nice as well. But, the pain of losing people in one's life who one thought were friends is sharing in the Passion of Christ, who lost all his apostles on the day of His Death, except for John.
Some of us are invited to share in the Pain of Christ-how can we say no?
