Alone For "The Holidays"

Around the world the sights and sounds of Christmas can be seen and heard as people busy themselves with shopping and Christmas parties.  Then there are those who are alone [1] walking among the shoppers, the revelers, the well-dressed party crowd, families on vacation and groups of friends.   As one who is comfortable on my own, I find weaving in and out of the "partiers" far more often and more fun than being at a party.  However, I am keenly aware of those who feel left out at this time of year.  This entry is for them.

I had gone through a period of not fitting in, of being left behind, left out and left alone, a painfully depressing time.  I focused on myself, pitied myself and thought only of myself: it was me, me and me.  That self-centeredness deepened and lengthened my depression.  The Rx is not a drug prescription but a prayer reflection on the true meaning of Christmas, a sharp contrast to the secularized and commercialized version of the "holiday season."

As I have recently learned at Mass, this is the season of Advent, a season that looks toward the Second  Coming of Christ, a season of penance to prepare for the Second Coming.  Thus, this is not supposed to be a time for shopping, gifting, drinking and feasting.  When one internalizes the Advent season, then one who is alone no longer needs to feel lonely or depressed, for spending time away  from the holiday sales, away  from the gatherings where God is not invited and is unwanted is actually good for the soul, when one is no longer centered on oneself, on all kinds of consumption that feeds the ego and its self-image but on the firm belief that the One Who was born to the Blessed Virgin Mary on Christmas Day will again come to judge the living and the dead in light of the Truth from which nobody can hide or escape.  Hopefully, God will take into consideration the time one has spent honoring God relative to the time spent pampering and pitying oneself and grant mercy before the final judgment.

Therefore, to those who are alone during Advent, Christmas and New Years, "the holiday season,"  feel good about having the luxury of time away from the hustle and bustle of a Godless consumerist society to spend with God, alone, to reconcile oneself to the Truth, to pray for forgiveness, and for guidance to choose and follow the path that leads to Christ, and ultimately to Heaven.


[1] One who is alone does not mean one is lonely, but those who are alone can at times have feelings of loneliness.  Time spent in loneliness is a difficult time but those who experience loneliness while sharing a life with another tend to have a far more difficult time relative to that of a single person who experiences loneliness alone.  To those who feel alone among others, go see God Who is waiting, Who is everywhere, Who will be The  most wonderful companion, always.