April 30, 2022 - Pastor Message
04/19/2024THE YEAR OF HEALING MENTAL HEALTH “Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again, rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in all things by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:47).
When we are wounded by any trauma, but certainly one as significant as the COVID pandemic, we need spiritual healing as we have discussed. But that is not the end. As we have also discussed, human beings are a unified whole of mind, body, and spirit. Healing the spirit through prayer, especially the sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick and Penance and Reconciliation, is a good start, but healing the whole person requires more. It also requires healing our minds through different forms of mental healthcare.
Mental illness was well known at the time of Jesus. Without the advantage of modern medicine, it was perceived as demonic possession. People did not understand it and, out of fear and ignorance, sometimes drove those suffering from mental illness out of their communities. We see an example of this in the gospel story of the Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:120), whom the people of Gerasene first attempted to imprison with shackles and chains and then, when those methods failed, drove out of town to live in the cemetery and wilderness. When Jesus healed him, therefore, restoring him to his “right mind” (Mark 5:15), he also restored him to his family and community.
Unfortunately, even in our own time, there can still be a social stigma attached to mental illness, as if it was a moral flaw or a sign of weakness, leading people who experience it to fail to seek treatment. Modern science has done much to overcome that stigma, improving our understanding of mental illness as a medical concern that can affect all of us at different times, and, just as we all need to seek professional help to restore and maintain our physical health at times, so we can all at times need professional help to restore and maintain our mental health and wellbeing.
The Church continues Jesus’ saving mission to bring healing to people and families experiencing mental illness today in a variety of ways, some of which I will discuss in this column during May, which is national Mental Health Awareness Month. One way we as a parish will contribute to this effort is the first session of our planned speaker series on healing. Sharon Wyskiel of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) will be with us on Saturday, May 21, 11:00 AM 12:00 PM, in the church to speak about mental health and mental healing. All are welcome to attend this important presentation, which will include a question and answer session. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend to learn about this often misunderstood part of healthcare, and let us all work together to help all people, including ourselves, seek the help they need to restore and maintain mental health.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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