We’re living in hard times now. I know I’m feeling very isolated, very alone, and scared. I care for my mother who is disabled from a stroke, and I have to be really careful to avoid exposure so I don’t expose her. Except for going to her house, I barely leave mine. I’m lucky that I can do my work online remotely. I haven’t seen any of my friends except on Zoom. I’ve gone for walks, but the world seems like a very dangerous place right now.

In both the Gospel and the reading we are reminded that the world is a dangerous place. But Jesus, and later Paul, pray for all of us, that we will be spared from the dangers. Jesus is praying for his disciples, and reminds us that he has lived with them and taught them and protected them. He gave them what they needed while he was here, and now that he is going to heaven, they have what they need to continue in his name. And they have the knowledge that they are never really alone. Paul is living that example in Miletus. He has lived with the people there and taught them and protected them. But now he is moving on and will not be there physically for them, but he has left them with what they need to continue. Jesus prays for the protection of his disciples, and Paul prays for the protection of the people in Miletus, because they both know that it’s a dangerous world, but through their teachings their people have knowledge and the knowledge that they are cared for.

In these dangerous times, we are isolated and scared. Simple things are now not so simple. It’s easy to feel very alone. I know I do. But we are never really alone.