In The Body of Christ, We Are Never Alone

The word “catholic” means “universal” and it always makes me happy to know that no matter where I go, I’ll find a church. It might take some driving, but there’s at least one Catholic Church in every state in the US and in every country. But what’s even better than that is that I know that I am never alone.

Even though I consider myself to be an introvert, I feel lonely very often. I may not feel comfortable making small talk or being in a room with loud, chatty people, but if I ever find a friend that I feel comfortable with, I like talking to that friend often. In fact, my deepest longing is for a friend that I can talk to about everything and nothing with. Someone I can ramble to about all of my crazy fandom-related stuff, but at the same time, I can just be with that person without having to talk.

But since I am Catholic, I am part of the Mystical Body of Christ, which means that I have God and a whole communion of saints that I can pray to whenever I feel lonely. It’s not the same as physically being with a person or hearing a voice, but it provides some solace. Being part of the Mystical Body of Christ also means that I can pray for my friends and I know that my friends are praying for me. Intercessory prayer is a very powerful thing and my life has shown evidence of that.

When I heard about Thomas Peters AKA American Papist’s accident almost two years ago, I felt a strong desire to pray for him because I didn’t want him to end up as a vegetable in the hospital. Whenever I prayed for him, I would hear some kind of news relating to his recovery and was happy to see that he recovered well enough to check out of the hospital a month after the accident. As of now, he is back to writing and undergoing regular physical therapy. Given what could’ve happened, I consider this to be a minor miracle.

I also feel like the Mystical Body of Christ applies to my own life as well, even when it comes to people I never met. When I was nursing my latest broken heart, I was browsing my social media feed when I saw a link to a music video to a song I’ve been anticipating for a long time. It brought me out of my misery. I later said to the artist “To say that your timing is impeccable is an understatement.” This wasn’t the first time that this particular artist would inadvertently save my day and inspire me and it won’t be the last. In fact, they share a lot of wonderful pieces of wisdom on their Instagram and Twitter, but they aren’t Catholic. In spite of our spiritual differences, I feel like they are part of the Mystical Body of Christ with me and everyone else. After all, we are all God’s creation.

The Mystical Body of Christ reminds us all that we are not alone. We can find friends in the saints, in our churches, and even in people we’ve yet to meet.