“Grant me release from the slavery of the thoughts of my own making.”
Healing of the Paralytic
Reflection:
Mother Raphaela(1) reflects on how the education system often teaches us that our own thinking, unhindered by the Faith or the humility of the heart, should be our most trustworthy guide. We are taught to prove we can think rightly, and that this is the one path to a joyful and successful life.(2)
The mindset of right-thinking leads us subconsciously to believe that we can defeat any problem with our right-thinking, on our own. We become prideful, believing that we do not need a relationship with God to succeed.
We believe that our mind will save us, we become paralyzed, trapped, by our own thoughts. This was the fall of Adam and Eve. We need our minds to go into the depths of our heart, and our heart to be united with Christ. He saves us.
Mother Raphaela reminds us to not fight thoughts and passions on our own, for we will be defeated. But to call upon the Lord, allow His Presence to drive them away.(3) We know that the path to success, joy, and purpose in life is living in and with Christ through His Church.
The mindset that our right-thinking is our savior leads us to believe that our minds are separate from the rest of our being, disregarding our soul and body, and so begins our downfall.(4)
Whenever we struggle with anger, stress, anxiety, depression, or addiction, we need help. We need outside help, both Christ (through the Sacraments) and our neighbor (who could be a professional - whom Christ created), to holistically transfigure us on the path of healing. We need to be able to bring our minds into the humility of our hearts to find mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wholeness.
Our spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being are all interconnected, when one aspect is afflicted, so are the other two. When we wish to address any particular need we have, we must address its counterparts in all three aspects of our person.
Christ is the Creator and ultimate physician of our mind, soul and body. He does not force His help, He respects our free will. We must freely choose to ask for help holistically: a) from Christ through the sacraments of the Church, b) from Christ through professionally trained individuals (who -at minimum- share a similar understanding of the human person), and c) together with our neighbor.
