Were there any lonely saints? With no friends

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One of my favorites.
Thank you. Maybe I’ll try to memorize it. This is so beautiful to reflect on.
I wish I knew “how” to do do those things better.
 
This is interesting and has left me confused. Some of the greatest saints suffered from lack of happiness, they preferred suffering and didn’t the Lord give them many graces because of it?
I certainly don’t prefer that for myself, I’d rather have joy but mostly want to accept what God wants.
 
Don Bosco understood that joy is a divine virtue, but it cannot be separated from our earthly life. There is a deep correlation between our earthly life and heavenly life; living a joyful life will necessarily lead us to heaven, which is eternal joy or bliss. Joyful life is a fruit of virtuous living—a worthy living of Gospel values.

His recommendation to little Dominic Savio who wanted to be a saint, is to be happy and happy all the time. As the Spiritual Father Don Bosco advised him that he does need to do extraordinary penance or mortifications to please the Lord, but the Lord is pleased with our joyful living. Joyful living consists in doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways. Dominic Savio, would become the youngest saint understood well Don Bosco’s simple pedagogy for sanctity, “God loves the cheerful giver”.

Don Bosco kept repeating to the boys of his oratory, “Play, jump, sing and dance, but do not sin” because sinning is being sad that ruins one’s joyful living"
 
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Thank you. I believe I am living as virtuously as I can and yet I don’t have this fruit. I do have peace about it, mostly. It’s probably because I’m not feeling joy while living virtuously (in my limited understanding of it) that confuses me. In any case it’s nice to know Jesus wants me to be happy as I love Him very much but I don’t know “how”. My husband is the naturally happy one, always positive and energetic while I am more reserved, sure I have plenty of good laughs but after they end I’m back to my quiet contemplating the temporary nature of life and all it’s woes self again.
 
Loneliness is all too prevalent in society today, especially among Catholics it seems. Making friends as a care-free child in school was a cakewalk, but as a Catholic adult in an area that is predominantly non-Catholic? Forget about it. I currently have no friends either; just family and acquaintances from Church.

A couple of parishioners from my Church recently invited me to their book clubs, so I look forward to attending those and (hopefully) making some friends in the process. I’m not sure anyone my age would go to something like that, though.
 
Thank you for posting! I pray your time at the book club is surprisingly fulfilling and fun, I hope you enjoy it so much that you look forward to them and that you meet nice people.
You made such a great point about how hard it is for Catholic adults to make friends when so many people are anti Catholic/ anti God in my conversations with them for years this has been the case. I am grateful my husband is a devoted Catholic and my only friend.
 
Such a beautiful post. “It is more important to be a friend, than to have friends.” How true, and how rare.
 
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Thank you! I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a parish where some people have come up to me and introduced themselves after Mass, but otherwise opportunities to meet Catholics, let alone befriend them, seem awfully rare. We could certainly benefit from the creation of more Catholic social groups. The only alternative is trying to befriend those outside the Church, and more often than not that ends in disaster (constant debates, insults, mockery, etc.), so I’d really prefer to have Catholic friends I see eye-to-eye with.
 
It was Plato that said
True friendship can exist only between equals.
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So I think of Jesus in John 13:1–17 where Jesus washes his disciples feet.
5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”
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12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.
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So in a sense I see Jesus as trying to pull his disciples up to, on some level, become peers and friends. They can’t be peers, so there is a mystery here of course. However, one interpretation is that he is trying to be a friend to his disciples by washing their feet near the end. When Peter was arguing with him, I’m sure Jesus felt lonely, so I think Jesus can empathize with this emotion too. Based on Peter’s reaction, Jesus struggled to connect with disciples in this way…as a friend.
 
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Joy is eternal while happiness is temporary. Once you discover the source of Joy nothing else will satisfy. We can experience joy amidst suffering.
We become full of the Holy Spirit and nothing else will enter without our consent.

Some thirst for contemplation of God. Some saints avoided people to experience the stillness and contemplation.
[Luke 10:39] She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to His message… but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
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I understand this already and thank you. I don’t know why someone living virtuously doesn’t have that joy when they’ve sought it for years while loving Jesus very much. What you’ve written shows that I should have it by now. What is missing then, why am I lacking in this joy that I’ve sought for years while being faithful to the church and while loving and contemplating Jesus daily,…according to your post. That is what’s making me wonder, why hasn’t God granted it to me as HE knows the years I’ve longed for it and He knows how I’m living my faith. I tell Him sometimes that I’d like the faith that made the martyrs face death, they had SOMETHING gifted and I think joy in the Lord and that kind of faith is the same thing,that is not something I can have based on things I do other than pray, is that not right? If years of prayer and living virtuously has not led me to “discover the Source of joy” as you state than what must I do?
Thank you
 
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Sounds like you are on your way if you love contemplating Jesus. My heart goes out to if you are having difficulties. I will pray for you.
I go to adoration in front of the tabernacle to recharge and I, also, pray the rosary at my favorite spot near the harbor.
I have known people who are full of joy all the time. I asked them why are they so joyful and they usually say they don’t know. Sometimes they say it is because they pray and receive the Eucharist. They talk about gratitude for everything they have.
I experience joy all the time or I contemplate joy, which is a kind of detached bliss. I don’t know if it is permanent? So far it is unwavering. Sometimes I have to avoid certain people because they have a negative nature. I’m not really sure how I got this way, in joy. It is a daily effort to maintain. You might be familiar with the inner sanctuary of the heart. I meditate on a meadow full of golden light. It is much like a Thomas Kinkade painting(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

For me it is a very real place in my meditation.
If years of prayer and living virtuously has not led me to “discover the Source of joy” as you state than what must I do?
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My oasis is the Eucharist and the rosary. I do receive direction from the Holy Spirit. Do you get inspired by the Holy Spirit?

There may be something you could work on that I have been using since 1982. Our subconscious mind has a lot of negative under currents that inhibit everything we do. There is a way to change that so that it will work for you. I received instructions at a seminar in 1982 and learned that we have to reprogram the subconscious mind to advance our goals.
Dr. Bruce Lipton has several videos in which he explains what to do.

 
I am very grateful for this response, thank you very much. I will reread this, how blessed you are.
 
When I look at photos of St. Gemma Galgani, in her eyes I see the love and kindness of a saint, but also the cross she carried of being ridiculed, scorned and misunderstood.
 
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