Despite being with friends a coworkers throughout the day or being in the middle of the weekend crowd at mall, or being with members of my church ministries, I cannot help but at times feel alone.
Naturally, when I am actually alone — like in my room, my car, in church — the feeling of loneliness is, though not unbearable, is stronger.
I find myself crying in the car while driving, while lying or sitting down on the bed, while praying inside the church. Of course, I understand that somehow, this feeling of loneliness stems from what I am going through and that somehow, I need to find a way, through God’s grace, to move forward.
At the same time though, feeling alone seems to help me feel God’s presence more. It is confusing, I know: I feel alone, but I also feel Jesus right there sitting beside me, listening to my unspoken words, prayers. I feel the Blessed Mother consoling me, whispering to me that everything is going to be okay. As they say, three’s a crowd, so maybe I am not alone after all. Then suddenly, I feel my guardian angel and he seems to be saying, “I am always here, and if there: is any message you want me to send to God, let me know and He will hear of it immediately. If you need protection let me know.”. Then, I realize that whole community of saints and martyrs praying around me.
Could it just be my imagination? Perhaps. However, if I understand the “communion of saints” and the parts of the body of Christ (i.e., the Church) correctly, perhaps it isn’t. Even if we feel alone and empty, we are not. It is an opportunity for us to seek and feel God’s presence even more, for His Son’s presence, for the Holy Spirit’s presence; it is a time for us to feel love and support from the community of angels and saints.
Of course, this is not to say that we should forget the people — families, friends, co-workers, classmates, acquaintances — around us. God sends us those people to support us and show us love. At the same time, He gives us the opportunity to help those people who need it particularly those who may be experiencing the same feelings of loneliness. To assure them that they also are not alone.