A Painful Fact of Life

Loneliness, Isolation, Prayer

August 4—Holy Hour. “When you are at My feet praying or meditating, why not be one in spirit with all the pure in heart who are praying and meditating? You aren’t a little church all by yourself. You are part of the great activity of Christ in the breath of the Spirit. And in isolating yourself you would break the chain. So be linked together with other fervent people and aware of My desire for you all to be one. You remember My seamless robe?

Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (Kindle Locations 3957-3961). Pauline Books and Media. Kindle Edition.

Loneliness is a very painful fact of life.  Most understand this experience and it can’t be expelled.  We can experience being lonely when we are with friends, at a party, or, most commonly, when we feel out of sorts and physically alone.  Loneness is an experience of isolation, which makes one feel in a world apart, perhaps being misunderstood by one’s family, or because of other problems beyond one’s control.  Also, we can be lonely because of something we do that makes others not want to be around us.

In any case, how does one deal with it?  To seek escape can lead to some serious problems with often serious repercussions.  However, no matter what we do, it will persist.  We can push it down, but it will resurface in the most unexpected ways.

Prayer is not an escape from feelings of isolation.  No, it is a way to face it without needing to try to run from it.  It is a deep act of faith and trust, to face our feelings of being invisible, and misunderstood by others, yet to keep seeking a deeper union with God. 

Prayer does bring us to a place where we experience compassion and even empathy for those who are going through what we are.   It can be a connection for prayer.  We can unite our souls to all those who struggle, suffer, and simply flail through life.  Yes, life can be a clumsy affair and must be faced as well.

We are when we pray, consciously face to face with God.  For Christians, it is a heart-to-heart experience with Jesus Christ and even deeper with the Holy Trinity.  Prayer can turn the experience of isolation, to a deep feeling of solitude.

Sometimes prayer is just one tiny step, saying a holy word, like for Christians it would be “Jesus”, saying the name with faith, hope, love, and yes, though often difficult, with trust.

What we feel about our being alone, may be a lie.  “God with us” can become a reality if we allow grace to give us the courage to take the next step, then another, and the one after that.-Br.MD