Deacon Ed Shoener, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 

“Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all”.  That is what the Apostle Paul tells us in the second reading today.

I have to be honest – I can’t help but thinking – “Huh, easy for you to say”.  And then my next thought is – if I am anxious do I doubt God’s love? Am I sinning?

And what about those among us who have an anxiety disorder, clinical depression or some other mental illness – the anxiety can be part of an illness that is out of our control - How can Paul’s direction to “Have no anxiety” be meaningful?

These are good questions.  Perhaps if we consider them in the light of our faith we can begin to consider some answers.

Paul tells us “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God”.

God knows about our anxiety.  God wants us to pray to him about our anxiety. Do not cling to your anxiety as if it is yours alone.  Give it to God as a gift.  Ask Mary to show you how.

And anxiety can certainly be a serious type of suffering.  You know, one of the central mysteries of the Christian life is that we are drawn closer to God when we turn our suffering over to God. 

Being anxious is not a sin.  Being anxious is just an emotion.  But, how we respond to our emotion of anxiety, what we do with it – that is the question.  Can we use it for the good and for God’s glory?  The only way to do that is by placing our anxiety before God.

Then as Paul says: “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”.  Notice he doesn’t say that the anxiety and its suffering will go away – what he does say is that God will “guard your hearts and minds”.   God will enter into our anxiety and spiritually guard us.

One thing Paul suggests is what these days would be called “mindfulness”.  Not a term used back in Paul’s day, but what he suggests in today’s reading is much the same thing.   He says we should turn our minds to these things:  “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious.”  He says, “think about these things”.

How do we do we think about these things?  Paul says by “doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me”.  For those us here in 2017 that means understanding how to live the Christian life. 

You know, it seems that almost everywhere we go we are tempted to live in ways that we know are not Christian.  And if we don’t take the time to understand and accept the teachings of the Church, we can even be ignorant of what the Christian life is.  This will disrupt our spiritual life; it will damage relationships and it will cause anxiety.

One sure way to reduce anxiety in our lives is to read scripture, read good Catholic spiritual books, follow the blogs of good Catholic writers.  These are good ways to form our conscience in a way that will result in a deeper faith and trust in God, which will in fact reduce our anxieties.  We will be better prepared to discern life’s challenges and to choose the good that God is calling each one of us to do.

Of course, if you have an anxiety disorder or a serious mental illness, you can’t simply read a good book and expect the illness to go away.  That is as realistic as thinking that if you read a book about healthy living a chronic illness, such as multiple sclerosis, will go away. 

I say that not so much for the benefit of those of you who live with such a disorder or mental illness, but for the edification of those who do not.  All too often people think that these disorders and mental illnesses are somehow not real illnesses - that they somehow can be “cured” with good thinking or that they can be prayed away.  But the fact is that they are illnesses and the people who suffer with these illnesses need all the understanding and compassion that people who suffer with a physical illness, such as cancer, deserve.

If you suffer with anxiety that you simply cannot control on your own with prayer and mindfulness – know this – God wants to help.  Go see a therapist, a psychologist or a psychiatrist.  These medical treatments are gifts from God to help humanity. 

I know that there is still way to much shame and stigma associated with seeking such treatment and many people, and I suspect this may apply to some of you here today, needlessly suffer because of this stigma.  All I can say is this – if your anxiety is disrupting your life, consider therapy and medical help, pray about it – God works through these treatments to bring healing.

Anxiety is part of our life here in this world. But it is not part of God’s will for us.  As Christians we can have hope in the sure and certain knowledge that one day we will be united with God. 

When every tear will be washed away, when we will find peace beyond all understanding, where God’s perfect love will cast out our every anxiety and fear.

May the peace of God be with you. Amen.