Saturday, October 15, 2011

Catholics and Depression




This post has nothing to do with the Divine Office.

Or maybe it has everything, since the point of praying the psalms is to pray the prayers of Jesus in union with Jesus. And the psalms of suffering and sorrow certainly echo both Our Lord's agony as well as that of everyone who finds themselves in the dark valley of depression. There, in Gethsemane, they will find a union that is --I'm guessing--both fearsome and strengthening.

I've been rhapsodizing for the last few weeks about the beauty of October. In stark contrast, this blogger finds October to be a time of darkness. Although he has very particular memories that make this month a bad one for him, there are thousands whose chronic depression deepens as the days grown short, a phenomenon known as Seasonal Affective Disorder.

So please read John's post , and if you know someone who has suffered from mental illness, consider giving him John's book. He is carrying out a great work of mercy to a large segment of the faithful, simply by telling his own story.