This week’s gospel invites us into a time of waiting in the dark. Waiting without knowing when we will be brought out. Feeling left. Alone. Without anything.

What do we have then? Most of us have homes to return to. Comfort. Electricity. Heat. We can turn on lights or light candles. We gather blankets and relax into couches to watch Netflix and relax. Alone or with family.

And even if we are alone, friends are just a text message away. Chatting while we both watch Loki. Saying to each other “Can you believe that? What!!! 😭”

There’s a reason, I think, that we don’t like being alone in the dark. And why we don’t like to think of others alone in the dark. We worry. We want each other to be safe. And warm.

But more than that. We want them to know comfort. And love. And support. We crave connection more than anything.