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Sometimes life on earth can be rough, especially if we are feeling isolated or depressed, thinking that nobody loves us or wants to be our friend.
Unfortunately there is no permanent cure for such feelings on earth. We may be able to get some temporary relief to whatever is the struggle of the day. Bigger problems or health problems might be alleviated somewhat with counseling or medication. But there will still be some dark days when we are tempted to despair. There's a reason the "Hail Holy Queen" prayer calls this earth the "valley of tears."
The good news is that whatever suffering we endure during this life, it will disappear if we are faithful to God and die with a firm desire to be with him for all eternity. We may have to be purged of our sins in purgatory, but the ultimate destination of Heaven will provide eternal rest and relief.
No isolation in Heaven
Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this reality in an Angelus message on November 1, 2012. He explains how Heaven is a place of communion that is beyond our understanding:
[T]his insertion in Christ also opens us — as I said — to communion with all the other members of his Mystical Body which is the Church, a communion that is perfect in “Heaven,” where there is no isolation, no competition or separation.
The simple truth is that we were not made to be alone. While there are times in our lives when we would rather be alone, it is not meant to be a permanent state in life. God made us for community, for communion with others.
Unfortunately in our fallen world, that communion is often broken and we struggle to be around people who have hurt us in some way, which is every one in one way or another.
Heaven is an entirely different reality than earth, as we will be fully united with God and fully united with everyone else who is united to God. That means all the saints (those we know and those we don't know) will be our eternal friends!
Pope Benedict XVI further comments how, "In [All Saints Day], we have a foretaste of the beauty of this life fully open to the gaze of love of God and neighbor, in which we are sure to reach God in each other and each other in God."
In the depths of our soul, we long for God and for communion with our neighbor. Heaven is that place where these desires will be met and we will no longer have to worry about being alone.
