Loneliness and Christmas with Fr. Rob

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast, Fr. Rob and Fr. George Elliot discuss how the Christmas season can be a lonely time for a lot of people. Firstly, priests may experience a particular loneliness when they celebrate multiple liturgies in a short time, and suddenly, after Christmas, there is far less going on. Sometimes, this can also be a difficult time for priests because they are away from their families and unable to visit home. Fr. Rob's advice to parishioners is to be kind to their priests. Priests may not be able to attend parties or dinners, but show kindness in the small ways. Priests aren't the only people who can experience loneliness during the Christmas season. People in any stage of life can experience loneliness. The expectations around Christmas cultivated by commercialism, movies, and the culture at large can set unrealistic expectations in people. So, Fr. Rob and Fr. George advise setting more healthy and realistic expectations and finding joy in what is. Listen to the previous episode where Fr. Rob and Fr. George Elliot discussed how silence is an essential aspect of the spiritual life whereby one comes to a deeper knowledge of the truth of the present moment and is increasingly aware of God’s presence in their life. In today’s digital world, it is important to set aside time to be silent and develop an interior silence. Interior silence is a step further into silence where one calms the mind and silently contemplates God’s presence and is in a posture of reception. Links To listen to more Catholic Link podcasts, click here. View the Catholic Link YouTube page here. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catholiclink… Twitter: https://twitter.com/catholiclink_en​​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholiclin…