The other day I heard someone say that he found most difficult the “crushing isolation” of modern-day society.  He was referring to the inability to find others with the same beliefs, but it could just as well have been an aloneness or separation from other human beings.   

            Not too long after that remark, I watched a television show called “Survivorman”.  The host in that series places himself in the wild with minimal resources and demonstrates to the audience how he is able to survive, and ultimately, escape the wilderness.  It seemed to me that the “Survivorman” thesis is definitely pertinent to Roman Catholics who find themselves living in the “crushing isolation” of modern-day society.  The differences between the television show and real life are two-fold.  First, we often find ourselves, and do not necessarily voluntarily place ourselves, in a society where we are, to all practical purposes, alone and isolated.    Second, the stakes are not our physical survival alone, but the survival of our souls.

            What can this “crushing isolation” do to us?  A lot.  It can cause an idleness which, as we all know, is an occasion of sin and can then lead to sin.  Most notably, idle souls turn to drink, drugs, sex, and excesses of all kind to keep themselves occupied, and to fill a void. 

            This isolation is, by its very nature, a limitation of interaction with others.  As such, this lack of human association in our daily lives will lead to self-centeredness.  This in turn encourages vice, or sin, which is a turning from God by centering on one’s self.

            Isolation, or a lack of contact with others, can also lead to a distortion of reality.  Events, thoughts, things, in general, become more or less significant than they really are.  We then come to base our actions and our thoughts on inaccurate information and unsupported conclusions.  This can in turn harm us by pulling us away from what is truly good, from casting us adrift from His voice and desires.  Or, it can cause us to over-react or under-react to stimuli in our environment.  This in turn can cause a chain reaction of disorder that harms our self and others. 

            Finally, this isolation can destroy hope in our souls.  When we see and hear and know only ourselves and have no contact with others, we tend to ask, “Is this all?”   Without others, we tend to believe that doing things just for ourselves is not enough.  We tend to ask, “What’s the point?”  And, when we get to that point, we are in real trouble. 

            “Crushing isolation” causes one to either reject God’s grace, or to act in a way that destroys His grace.  It can let the Devil into our lives.  It makes it easier to act against Him.  It can lead to the damnation of our souls.

            What is the solution?

            We begin with an attitude adjustment.  Instead of viewing “crushing isolation” solely as a cross, which it is, view it also as a great gift.  He is giving us an opportunity to focus on Him, the source of all and the ultimate goal of our life’s journey.  Recently, I heard a priest at St. Patrick’s Church in New Orleans, Louisiana give a homily on St. John the Baptist.  He spoke of the “desert of detachment” that St. John and so many others would find themselves before doing the Lord’s work.  The good father mentioned that as a result of years of living alone and praying, John was prepared to preach a “clear and uncompromising message” for all to understand and follow.  Wow!

            “Crushing isolation” is a gift for us to prepare for our public ministry in serving Him!  Unwittingly, this society, this culture of death, sows the seeds of its own destruction by accomplishing its very purpose:  to isolate us.  And we, open to His promptings, and following the example of Jesus Christ by embracing our own cross of “crushing isolation” have found a way to save our own souls, to open the gates of grace to flood into this world, and to start the re-conversion of society to a Roman Catholic society.  By our focusing on God and His Son in this “crushing isolation”, we will undergo a purification, an opening, an understanding of what He wants from us.  And we will be strengthened with knowledge and His grace to lead a life of proclaiming and living the One, True, Faith.   Every great Catholic order or movement was founded by men who withdrew from the world, like Christ, before beginning their public ministry.  Finding yourself in this isolation, alone if you will, is a call that we must heed.  It is the call to holiness and to redemption of ourselves and those around us, for it is a call for us to live outside the world.

            With that in mind, we must attend the Mass and receive Holy Communion daily.  Go to Confession at least weekly.  Pray the rosary daily.  Indeed, pray constantly as you go about your daily tasks in this life.  All of this will open us to grace, His greatest gift, and that grace will allow us the strength to live our lives in accordance with His will. We will be able to better resist temptation and to better listen to His voice.  We will grow in faith in Him so that when the storms and uncertainties of life come, we will more easily turn to Him and more confidently face it all.  Believe me, knowing that you are working to be and stay close to Him is the source of great comfort.  And, it helps you to discern, to identify, other true believers and those that He may want in your life.

            Read the lives of the saints.  Pick up a couple of books about the saints and everyday, read the life of the saint whose feast day it is.  These people actually lived, endured, suffered, and died for the Faith.  They give us concrete, tangible examples of how to live in difficult times.  This knowledge makes ever more stronger the sense that we are not alone.  We have the saints looking down on us, as well as God.  And, we can ask the help, or intercession, of the saints at any time. 

            Set and accomplish specific, achievable goals (SAG).  If you like writing or gardening or working on car engines, engage in that in your spare time.  (Activities I caution against doing for any extended time are listening to and watching Hollywood music and entertainment.)    SAG gives you a sense of accomplishment in a material sense.  This in turn keeps you from confusion and despair. 

            Study the Faith.  Know all of it.  There is a lot to study – 2,000 years of saints, writers, martyrs, popes, priests, and others thinking, praying, commenting, and discovering all that is worth while.  It is important that we know what is expected of us in all manner of situations, and that is what the Faith is – an expression of what He expects from us. 

            Do not expect anything from anyone else.  Expect neither help nor loyalty nor understanding nor love from other persons.  Assume that they are following their own agenda, and, if they are not sent to you by God as a result of your prayers for companionship, then be very leery.  Yes, it is all right to pray for companionship – in doing His work.  Not to satisfy your own desires.  Mother Theresa did just that – she prayed for workers to help her in Calcutta.  He heard her prayers and sent her other sisters, and she was no longer alone as she did His work.  So, the prayer must be for companions to share in doing the work, the things, that He is calling you to do.  Many times I have linked up with others who seem to believe the same things I do only to be disappointed.  The reason is that despite their statements and credentials, these people are really motivated by something other than serving Him.  It may be greed, a desire for revenge, a need to make a living, a love of writing or speaking, a love of a cause, or just plain ol’ vanity.  You see, motivations are crucial and we must always be aware of the motivations of others.  We must ask God’s help in discerning their true purposes for people will act consistently in accordance with their own motivations.  If the motivations of others are not the same as ours, we may ultimately be disappointed and the companionship will certainly end.

            While we cannot necessarily trust those who come to us, we must be kind to those around us.  Most people are ignored by everyone else.  If you are someone, if you have money or power or fame or are significant to someone for some reason, then you will be greeted wherever you go with smiles, handshakes, and kind words.  If you are an every day stiff like most of us, you will be treated with less importance than someone’s pet poodle. 

            Finally, eat right, exercise regularly, avoid excesses.  Have an occasional alcoholic beverage with a bit of food.  Take a break once in a while to enjoy His creation and your own works.   

            The host of “Survivorman” says that the key to survival is getting out of the situation you are in -- getting to civilization, in other words.  A similar idea here.  The key to survival is getting to a spiritual place where doing what God wants you to do is your first call.  That may be with or without others.  But if it is with others, it is others who are called to serve God the same way, and for the same reasons, as you are being called. 

            Now that is the best way to crush “crushing isolation.”