How many of us are feeling that we are just about to give up on life? We have problems and there seem to be no solutions; we have a sickness and we feel that it is just a matter of time; we have financial burdens and there is no way we can pay our debts unless we win the lotto; we have broken relationships and it is so hard to live with these people; we have experienced a death of a loved one that we think does not make sense or a mistake or regret that we just have to live with for the rest of our lives. 

Once, I watched on TV a singing contest and the singer was a priest. The song he sang was entitled “Everybody Hurts.” The Lyrics are very beautiful and certainly all of us can identify:

Sometimes everything is wrong
When your day is night alone (Hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (Hold on)
If you think you had too much of this life, well hang on
Cause everybody hurts
You are not alone.

Hence, there are 3 things we can hold on to in difficult times:

1. Family and Friends. While there is a great temptation to sulk alone and just bear all the pain to yourself, remember people need people. Remember the saying, family and friends they double the fun and they half the grief. While surely your loss will never be gained, and yesterday cannot be brought back, we are never alone in our pain.
   
2. Life Goes On. The best way to deal with loss and the hurt and to start the healing is to reach out to others. Continue to be a blessing, sharing your time, talent, and treasure especially to those who are hurting. In all these, remember, God has a plan. Mysterious perhaps but it is always the best.
   
3. Prayer. The mind is very powerful. Whatever is in there controls our life. That is why the Gospel reminds us to pray unceasingly. Put our focus on the Lord. Prayer overcomes fears, anxieties, worries, and loneliness. When one is in constant prayer, he or she notices little by little the hand of the Lord in every moment of life.

That is why in every Mass, may we never lose hope. May we always hold on by reaching out to family and friends; may we always hold on by blessing other people’s lives; may we always hold on by focusing on God through prayer.