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Loneliness and Faith

Question:

How do I grow in faith when I am lonely?

Answer:

God bless you for desiring to grow in faith amidst difficult times. What are the sources of your loneliness? Have you recently lost a loved one? Have you moved to a new area? Have you experienced some other setback? Identifying the sources of your loneliness will help a priest—and, if necessary, also a counselor—help you better deal with it. And we shouldn’t be ashamed to access a counselor or even possibly take medication under a physician’s care.

In addition, God has blessed us with people in our lives. That is, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18) applies to all people, not just those called to marriage. We are all made in God’s image and likeness (see Gen. 1:27), and so we are all social beings. We are all made to give and receive love.

In that light, we should look for opportunities to grow in good Catholic fellowship through activities at our local parish, as well as through other venues, such as the workplace. In addition, we can volunteer at Catholic charities to serve others and receive back from them. And simply getting together with friends for fellowship and prayer is always a good way to combat loneliness.

Finally, continue to engage in your regular life of prayer and participation in the sacraments. And if you can integrate daily Mass into your life, or frequent Mass outside of our Sunday obligation, that is highly recommended. God bless you abundantly in your journey (see John 10:10).

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