Week of 2 Advent, Friday

"I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am as useless as a broken pot.

For I have heard the whispering of the crowd;
fear is all around" (Psalm 31:12-13a)

An op-ed in USA Today yesterday talked about the impact joblessness has not only on the unemployed, but on all of us.

"Recent studies confirm the results of research during the Great Depression," the authors write, "unemployment badly frays a person's ties with his community, sometimes permanently." People who have been unemployed are less engaged in the community around them, and that withdrawal outlasts the unemployment itself. The authors also note that the unemployed find themselves increasingly alone, isolated from their neighbors.

"Equally disturbing," the article continues, "high unemployment rates reduce the social and civic involvement even of those still employed." Fearing that they, too, might be under the gun, those still employed work harder, which cuts into their civic engagement. Lasting unemployment sends ripples of despair through neighborhoods and cities.

Our best friend has been unemployed for more than a year now, and though she maintains all kinds of connections with her neighborhood, has taken advantage of the opportunity to add new skills to her resume, and is energetic in her job search, I know the months of effort and rejection weigh heavily.

Even though we stay in regular contact with her, we're sometimes shy to bring up her situation, not wanting to cause her distress, but our silence on the subject must bring up the same emotions the psalmist felt so many years ago. I think many of us have the same response to unemployment as when someone has died -- we are afraid to cause hurt to a friend or neighbor, but our concerned silence actually deepens their isolation.

I can't solve my friend's unemployment -- though I will insert a shameless plug for you to read her blog A Career Pursuit -- but it is within my power to keep reaching out to her and to friends who have lost jobs or loved ones so that their sense of being passed by isn't made any worse.

Most Friday mornings, we pray to Christ that we, "reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you" (BCP 101). Please join me in reaching out to those you know who might be feeling isolated or ignored in this challenging season.