I am not alone

One of my former parishioners described his struggle against loneliness in the following way: "I feel lonely not because I lack friends. In fact, I have many friends who think and care about me. I can open my heart to them, and their words of encouragement uplift me. However, the fact that we cannot be together every second creates a sense of loneliness.”

During his time on Earth, our Lord Jesus Christ witnessed and experienced the profound feeling of human loneliness. He saw loneliness in the eyes of lepers and heard it in the voices of the blind. He felt and experienced loneliness when his close companions, the apostles, deserted him during his most difficult hour and fled (Mark 14:50).

Nevertheless, even while anticipating the abandonment of his apostles, Jesus conveyed unwavering confidence in the constant presence of God the Father. During the Last Supper, he assured the apostles, "You will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me" (John 16:32).

Shortly after uttering these words, Jesus was arrested, suffered, and crucified for us. His ultimate sacrifice aimed to restore our communion with God the Father and grant us His eternal presence.

At various points in our lives, we all experience the desperate feeling of loneliness. When our friends cannot always be by our side, we can find solace in the fact that God is omnipresent and everlasting. He is always with us, understanding our struggles and fears because He himself experienced everything we are going through. We are not alone.

Not only do we have God's constant presence, but also His power and protection, as He promised: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).