Feelings of loneliness and longing.

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Comments

  • Dear Ionnes,

    Thanks for your feedback. I'm just curious, what exactly do you think I should do? or should have done?

    For me, I'm blessed right now as I go to a Church that is quite small, cosy and very organised. I pray, I eat a few sandwiches, and I leave. No problems.

    The problems happen with people generally after the Church. But I just try and leave asap now.
  • +Christ is risen!

    Dear Joeg,

    I remember going through something similar to what you are describing. It's also unreasonable to think that you in one day are suddenly content to be solo with God. On the one hand, God created us as social beings to live in community, and on the other, to suggest that wanting company as a sign of weakness is also wrong.

    There's a story from the desert fathers that I love. There's a story about a monk who was called to be a Bishop. When he was a hermit he had so many consolations directly from God, and visitations of saints etc... When he became a bishop it all stopped, and he thought that God was punishing him for being a bishop. Instead, God told him that he was no longer getting those graces because now he had the comforts of the people! He said when you were alone you had only me, but now you have the people to show love as well. Even a new monk in a monastery is forbidden from being a hermit, how much more so for those in the world?!

    So what's the point? We're supposed to be Christ to one another, not pretend that we have a solo relationship with God alone. Whoever says he loves God and not his neighbour is a liar (says St. John). So that takes you back to your original question, and unfortunately, you might need to be much more proactive about it than previous generations, because you're right, it can be different to socialise properly. Look very hard for people with common ground that you can fill enough time with, see what other Christians are out there, if any other Orthodox people from your school are around ,and try and find common things to do. At the same time, do try and grow in your solo time, use it to read books, to write songs, to excel in whatever gifts He has given you. 

    I know not that helpful, but I wanted to point out that it's more wrong to think you can be solo all the time than it is to desire companionship.

    pray for me,
    ap



  • dear father ap,
    joe g also had some advice here, which shows how he coped with the problem since he posted the original question:


    basically he spent more time getting close to God.

    *** there is some kind of a bug on the site which means we can't cut and paste anything bigger than size 7!***

    i tried to 'fix' your story by making it bigger, but could not, sorry!


  • +Christ is risen!

    Thanks, mabsoota, my bad!!!

    pray for me,
    ap
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