Several years ago, I visited someone in a nursing home who unfortunately had no visitors. Perhaps you have seen people in this situation, advanced in age and isolated from nearly all meaningful human connection.
When I arrived, I found an elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair in the common area, facing a blank wall. The facility staff told me that no one was able to communicate with her, as she simply “babbled” in nonsensical phrases. With no family members or friends as advocates and minimal interaction with staff, this woman appeared to be completely alone. After sitting next to her wheelchair and introducing myself, the woman’s eyes met mine as she responded with a sad but questioning tone, “Ainsi soit-il? Ainsi soit-il?”
Genesis says that when the world began, the Creator stated that it was good and very good. From the Earth, to the oceans, to the moon and stars, to all the plants and animals, and to the first human being, it was all beautiful. The first human being, made in the image of the Creator, was called the adamah, coming for the Hebrew root word for soil or earth. But do you know what the first thing was that the Creator said was not good?
After fashioning everything that was beautiful and good, the Creator said that only one thing was not good: it was not good that the human person should be alone (Gn 2:18).
Since aloneness was not the condition for the human that our Creator desired, another human was created so that they may walk hand in hand on the journey of life. Only after the two humans joined together as companions was the magnificence of creation completed. Human companionship, therefore, can be understood as the primordial gift and divine remedy for the human being’s loneliness. Although there are times during our lives that we can feel profoundly alone, it is comforting to know that this is not the state our Creator desires for us.
When I was a volunteer working with Mother Teresa caring for people with AIDS in the 1980s, I can remember her saying that “the greatest poverty in the world is to feel unloved and alone.” Unfortunately, many of the people we cared for experienced profound loneliness, having often been rejected by society, church, friends and family. While our work during those years brought physical relief to the terminally ill entrusted to our care, I think our compassionate presence brought them tremendous emotional and spiritual comfort, helping them to know that they were loved and no longer alone.
As we journey through the pathways of life, perhaps each of us can become a source of healing and comfort for someone who feels profoundly alone due to illness, loss, tragedy or unfortunate circumstance.
Now let us return to the woman I met in the nursing home. While the facility staff thought she babbled incoherently, I knew from speaking French that “Ainsi-soit-il” was a traditional way of ending prayers, the equivalent of “Amen.” Due to her condition, my new friend had been able to speak only this phrase for many years, even as she appeared to understand the words of others perfectly. Engaging the woman’s eyes, I began to say the “Our Father” in French: “Notre Père, qui es au cieux…” Immediately, a profound sense of relief and excitement appeared on the woman’s face and she responded loudly while nodding: “Ainsi soit-il!”
The woman and I had many conversations during the subsequent months. Sitting with her in front of a window overlooking a garden, I spoke about the beauty of trees and birds, attending church services and old French traditions. While appearing very engaged, she never said anything to me other than “Ainsi soit-il.”
An ancient Hebrew tradition says, “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one has found a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price; no amount can balance their worth. A faithful friend is a life-saving medicine” (Sirach 6:14-16). Looking out at the trees and birds in the garden while holding my hand, my new friend was no longer alone.
The United Church of Bernardston is a welcoming community of Christians who celebrate and are receptive to the voice of God. The church celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of each expression of God’s diverse family, as well as oneness in Christ. While embracing Christ’s mission of compassion, justice and healing, the church welcomes people of every age, race, color, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, mental and physical ability, economic and social status, faith background, marital standing and family structure. The church invites everyone to share in its worship each Sunday at 10:30 a.m.