December Meditation

Psalm 23
All: A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. 
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Meditation: “Lost is a Place Too” by Ron Rolheiser, OMI

In many ways, at least in the Western world, the Church is in the desert, in a dark night, lost, being pruned, undergoing a purifying alechemy.

We’re experiencing public humiliation in the sexual abuse scandal, in our greying and emptying churches, and in the strong anti-clericalism inside our culture. We’re aging, unsure of ourselves, lacking in vocations, and becoming ever more marginalized.

But that’s a place too, a good place to be. From the edges, humbled and insecure, we can again become church.

The same holds true in our personal lives. We have our good seasons, but we have seasons too where we lose relationships, lose health, lose friends, lose spouses, lose children, lose jobs, lose prestige, lose our grip, lose our dreams, lose our meaning, and end up humbled, alone, and lonely. But that’s a place too, a valid and an important one. Inside that place, our souls are being shaped in ways we cannot understand but in ways that will stretch and widen them for a deeper love and happiness in the future.

Good wines are aged in cracked old barrels. That’s what makes them rich and mellow. They can, of course, go sour during the process. That’s the risk. The soul works in the same way and, thus, we might ask whether failure and loneliness, as they shape our souls, need to be re-imagined aesthetically: Are maturity and transformation, growth in beauty, not about more than success, health, having it all, and looking like a million dollars?

Beauty is ultimately more about the size of our hearts, about how much they can empathize, and how about widely and unselfishly they can embrace. To that end, the desert-heat of loneliness is helpful in softening the heart, enough at least to let it be painfully stretched.

That happens more easily when we’re lost, unsure of ourselves, empty of consolation, aching in frustration, and running a psychic temperature. Not pleasant, but that’s a place too.

Song: Let All Mortal Flesh Be Silent

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
Comes the powers of hell to vanquish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Sacred Silence 

Scripture (Romans 8:18-19; 22-24; 26; 28)

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. . . We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption. . . For in hope we were saved. . . Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. . . We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

The Word of the Lord.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

Sign of the Cross

Poetry for the Troubled Mind

A group of researchers in the United Kingdom are exploring the concept of bibliotherapy - that is, reading as a form of therapy for those undergoing mental and emotional stress. In The Lancet, Jonathan Bate and Andrew Schuman write of the promises and challenges of what they call "the reading therapy," and point us to an organization called ReLit, which explores the relationship between literature and mental health.

I know from personal experience and from conversations with others that there are many who find consolation in the act of reading (and writing!) their own poetry and prose. In that spirit, I'd like to share with you two pieces by some very talented poets in our group, in the hopes that their words may, as John Milton put it, help "assuage the tumors of the troubled mind."

Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Thomas DeFreitas

A peaceful place, where potholed roads
made quirky pathways in between the stones,
where a wooden footbridge spans a thin-veined brook,
where leaves of broad elms flourish, blush, or fall
according to the temper of the year:
these acres keep Aunt Brenda, Cousin Michael;
my mom's parents, Nana and Grampa Mel;
Arlingtonians whose names (O'Hurley,
Demopoulos, Bohajian, Capasso)
take on the friendliness of good neighbours - 
I've seen them often on my evening walks.
It's likely I'll be buried here beneath
God's clement gaze, beneath unjudging skies,
be shaded by an overhang of branches,
my pulseless limbs compounded with kind earth.

Credo
Mario Pita

When everything is looking awfully grim,
since we all end up buried in the sod,
and prospects for the future all seem dim,
I don’t believe in anything but God.
When there appears no reason to have hope
and chances for relief from woe look slim,
and it’s insanely difficult to cope,
I don’t believe in anything but Him.
While causes for despair add up to many
and matter seems to be all we’re made of,
and we look for a sign and can’t find any,
I don’t believe in anything but Love.
The time will come when death appears to seize us.
I don’t believe in anything. Except Jesus.

(Visit https://snapshotcouplets.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/credo/ to hear Mario read his poem, and to read more of his work!)

Suffering and Hope in the Healthcare Practitioner's Vocation

A friend alerted me to the work of Dr. Abraham Nussbaum, a psychiatrist at Denver Health in Colorado, who is currently helping to organize a conference on treatment of mental illness in Christian communities. With a Master of Theological Studies degree focusing on the intersection of medicine and religion, Dr. Nussbaum offers a unique perspective on the practice of medicine from a Christian point of view. Last year he gave this intriguing talk on how Christian physicians are called to see their patients as the suffering Christ, and how their vocation is to help lead their patients from the darkness of suffering into the light of hope. Perhaps this discussion will spark change towards a more holistic understanding of illness, whether mental or physical! Enjoy!

Article: "Black Dog Days"

Some good advice from The Catholic Gentleman on how to deal with the Black Dog Days of depression.

Resources: Further Reading

Recommended by members of our group:

1.  Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression, by Brooke Shields.

An honest and open account of the actress' unexpected slide into depression after the long-awaited birth of her daughter.  In a culture where so many women are shamed into silence when experiencing post-partum depression, Shields' courageous account allows us to see that we are not alone, and that help is out there.

2.  Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy, by Kitty Dukakis and Larry Tye.

Though controversial and often characterized as primitive, cruel, and barbaric, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for severe depression.  Kitty Dukakis recounts her experience with ECT and presents medical evidence to combat the stigma against it.

3.  The Five People You Meet In Heaven, by Mitch Albom.

This novel recounts the story of Eddie, who dies on his 83rd birthday trying to save a young girl's life, and who meets five people in heaven who reveal to him the meaning of his life on earth.

4.  Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom.

A memoir recounting the author's reconnection with the inspiring college professor who becomes a spiritual mentor.

Inspiration from Scripture and the Saints

"Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6-7)

"Let nothing disturb you, nothing cause you fear.  All things pass; God is unchanging.  Patience obtains all.  Whoever has God needs nothing else; God alone suffices."  (Teresa of Avila)

"Stop listening to your fears.  God is your guide and your Father, Teacher, and Spouse.  Abandon yourself into the divine bosom of His most holy good pleasure.  Keep up your spiritual exercises and be faithful in prayer."  (St. Paul of the Cross)

"Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall the soul - sin only excepted. . . When our heart is troubled and disturbed within itself, it loses the strength necessary to maintain the virtues that it had acquired.  At the same time, it loses the means to resist the temptations of the enemy, who then uses his utmost efforts to fish, as they say, in troubled waters."  (St. Francis de Sales)

[From: Fr. Joseph Esper, "How the Saints Faced Anxiety," The Catholic Exchange]

Resources: Reading List

Here are some books to help Catholics struggling with depression:

1.  Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression and Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes, by Therese Borchard.  

Written by a Catholic wife, mother, and blogger, Beyond Blue speaks of the everyday struggles of living with mental illness, from the toll it takes on her family to the role her faith plays in her battle for healing.  Its wry, conversational style and down-to-earth approach make it very accessible, and Borchard makes for an amiable companion on the journey through depression and anxiety.

2.  Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach, by Kathryn J. Hermes.

Sr. Kathryn Hermes, herself struggling with bipolar depression, provides a consoling, peaceful voice on the path towards healing with her recommendations for prayer, meditation, and contemplation.

3.  Wrestling with Our Inner Angels: Faith, Mental Illness, and the Journey to Wholeness, by Nancy Kehoe.

Sr. Nancy Kehoe is a licensed psychologist who examines the role of faith and spirituality in treating the mentally ill.  She speaks of her struggles in getting the psychiatric community to take spirituality and religion seriously in the lives of patients with mental illness, and she testifies to the triumphs of the spirit in her own clients as they come to terms with their faith and their illnesses.

4.  The Catholic Guide to Depression: How the Saints, the Sacraments, and Psychiatry Can Help You Break Its Grip and Find Happiness Again, by Aaron Kheriaty.  

Dr. Aaron Kheriaty is a Catholic psychiatrist who explains depression from both a theological and a clinical perspective, helping patients and their families see that depression is not a moral failing but an illness that requires professional treatment but that can also benefit from prayer and spiritual support.