The following reflection is by Tiona Doherty and is called 'Made for each other'.

Turning the front door knob, it came to him that maybe he could sponge away the look of loneliness that he'd seen in Susan's eyes - and John was now pretty sure it was loneliness he'd seen, despite the smiles and the confidences. If he'd learned one thing while he'd been away, it was that loneliness and the open discussion of loneliness is the most taboo subject in the world. Forget sex or politics or religion. Or even failure. Loneliness is what clears out a room' - Douglas Coupland, Miss Wyoming.

Many of us have experienced loneliness at one time or another. We hear a lot of talk these days about a modern sense of loneliness and isolation, in spite of advancements in mobile technology and the growth of online communities. Yet relationships are at the heart of who we are as human beings. The Gospel of Matthew begins and ends with reassurances that we are not alone. At the beginning we are told the one who is coming will be called Emmanuel, meaning 'God is with us', and it concludes with the words of Jesus 'I am with you always, to the very end of the age'. And here in the middle we have Jesus' assurance: 'Where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.' Today's Gospel speaks to us about relationships, and lets us know that God is with us in and through our relationships with other people - when we gather in his name, he is there too.