Do not be afraid of your illnesses. Rather “persevere running the race that lies before you while keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus.”
Do not be afraid to approach our Lord and tell Him about your difficulties. “One of the synagogue officials named Jarius came forward. Seeing Him he fell at His feet and pleaded earnestly with Him saying, ‘Please come and lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.’”
Do not be afraid to reach out for help even if it means crossing social boundaries or experiencing the disapproval of others. “She had heard about Jesus and came up behind Him and touched His cloak.”
Those people sought Jesus’ healing in human ways by touching Him and touching His possessions. We are to do the same– touch Him through His concrete presence in the sacraments and touch His possessions, all things of earth including medicine, therapy, spiritual direction, and people in the community.
Do not be afraid of your illnesses. Come forward for help. Be honest in your prayer and pour the whole truth to the Lord. Your physical or mental ailments or situational problems may not be healed in the way you wish or imagine. However inside you, you may recognize a deeper serenity as you hear Jesus’ words in your heart, “Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
Quotes taken from todays readings, Hebrews 12:1-4 and Mark 5:21-43. Picture is public domain in the United States; found on Wikimedia.
Hi. I’m quite sure i suffer from depression. Are there any Catholic depression center in the Orlando,FL area?
Since I don’t know of any center specific for depression I looked on http://www.catholictherapists.com. It seems there are Catholic therapists in Miami and a couple of other places but not Orlando. I did find a counselor who is “Christian” and seems to be located in a Catholic church there. Then, there is Greg Popcak’s tele-therapy. http://www.exceptionalmarriages.com/services/ They counsel for depression as well as other things. I don’t know if you’ve ever read his stuff but he’s pretty down to earth and so I suspect so are the people working with him. Then of course you might want to call your diocesan office. We have a family life office in the archdiocese and they actually have a referral list of Catholic therapists. Prayers for you!