This Is a Lonely Place
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, August 3, 2025
Reading this Gospel story 5 words stood out to me. I had never thought much about them.
"This is a lonely place." And because it was, Jesus decided not to send the crowds away as night drew near. He chose to help them then and there. He refused to turn them away. He fed them all.
I am sure there is not one among us who has not been in lonely places in our lives. I know people who live there nearly all the time, no homes, absent and uncaring often abusive families, little if any security of any kind or friends with whom to share their lives.
I have worked with some of the loneliest people. Prisoners, the homeless, the poor, the elderly, orphans, the sick and dying. Here is one time with orphans that left a gaping wound in my heart.
I visited an orphanage for boys near the University of TN to meet and play with the kids when I was a student at UT Knoxville. They were overjoyed to see a friendly face from the outside world. The boys begged me to come back. I promised I would. To my great shame I never did. I realize now that their sadness was overwhelming for me. It reminded me too much of my own. You see, I lived in a very lonely place for much of my life.
Years later I went to work with young people at St. Nicholas camp north of LA for a weekend. One night the snoring in my room was so horrifying I couldn't sleep. So I went outside and found that it was snowing. The ground was covered with a thin carpet. I found a spot in the woods and sat down in the beautiful silence to watch the snow fall. Then it happened.
I saw the faces of those orphan boys floating in the air before my eyes and I heard a voice saying, "Why did you not come back?" The vision and voice pierced me. It was a terrifying and beautiful moment. I believe to this day that it was real and that the voice came from God.
Following the Gospel always puts one at odds with ourselves and "polite society". What did the Lord say? "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." I wonder who we are following if we don't experience that somewhere along the way.
Reading all the red letters in the New Testament I came to the conclusion that it is not possible to follow Christ unless we are sold out to the crazy plan of self-denial. And unless we are willing to sell ourselves out for the Gospel allowing Christ to take the lead in all things in everything we do, say, and think. If we do, then the world will think us insane. Being a disciple of Jesus is a risky business.
I am reading the biography of another one of these lonely people. Princess Alice of Battenberg, the mother of Prince Phillip. Born deaf, she was misunderstood and later diagnosed as a schizophrenic and thrown into an asylum at age 45 where Sigmund Freud subjected her to unthinkable horrors. Traumatized like all "the least of the brethren" are (like all of us are) her faith remained. Tried in the fires of abandonment she emerged a gentle, humble Orthodox nun who had this to say when asked about what was done to her, "They did the best they could." Which begs the question, "Are we doing the best we can?"
"Love one another" is not an easy thing. Simple, but not easy. Add to that "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34) and we have to say as the apostles once did, "who then can be saved?" (Matt 19:25)
"With God," Jesus answers "All things are possible." When we turn our gaze to him a prayer like this can make possible the impossible. "Disclose to us Your Divine Light hidden in our souls that we may know and understand life better."
Everything that is not love in us must be cleared away. The Light of Christ will transfigure all the darkness in us. "Perfect love," writes the Beloved Apostle, "casts out all fear." (I John 4:18) Perfect love is by far the most courageous thing of all. Here is a beautiful poem by St Claire of Assisi on how to reach loving transcendence.
"Place your mind before the mirror of eternity, place your soul in the brightness of his glory, place your heart in the image of the divine essence and transform yourself by contemplation into the image of his divinity."
The Lord commands us to love our enemies. Give expecting nothing in return. Take up the cross and die to ourselves. Turn the other cheek. Treat the neediest, the loneliest, the most sorely wounded, the sick, the hungry, prisoners, and strangers, the unwelcome, the unattractive, the homeless, the unworthy (even the scary ones) and the poor as you would treat Jesus himself. Jesus tells us, no, even more, warns us, that these undesirables are in truth him. (Mt 25)
It is ridiculous to expect that people must be well before they enter the hospital.
The Way of the Cross isn't easy. There are upsides and downsides. Ask Princess Alice, or St. Maria of Paris and her companions, or the Grand Duchess St. Elizabeth of Russia, or Sister Vassa, or Damien the priest who let go of his life as he contracted leprosy from those he dedicated his life to serve, or countless other bright and shining stars in the firmament of heaven. They all made choices that led either to ridicule or death for the sake of the Gospel of Our Lord and Savior Jesus.
And really, if you want to know the truth, I have very little else to preach about. This is for me the Alpha and the Omega. There is only one commandment, "Love one another." With the help of God we must dedicate our lived to this. And I fear I have become a broken record.
"When the heart burns at the suffering of others, that is God's own heart."