Be Held, Behold

I've been thinking a lot about the reform that needs to be made within the Catholic counseling sphere. The changes that need to be made in order to effect change on a grander and legal level. This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling on the United States vs. Skrmetti case in favor of banning medical procedures for sex changes for minors on a state level. While I rejoice in this major victory that favors the Catholic Church (including Catholic medical professionals, families, and patients), I can't help but think of the changes that need to be made in the mental health world that would need to happen in order to get to a place where the care we provide affirms the same human dignity that we see in the ruling of U.S. vs. Skrmetti.

In my home state of California, so-called "conversion therapies" are banned, and in our grad school programs, we are constantly pressured to affirm mental illness and beliefs about human nature that are contrary to the Catholic Church's teachings. While there are profound hurdles to overcome when it comes to enacting laws that allow for mental flourishing in accordance with the Church's teachings, I think about our starting point.

The church, and more poignantly, Catholic psychotherapists, have a responsibility to lead in this fight. However, before we call for change, we need to look inwardly and ask how God is calling for reformation within our community and within ourselves.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:3-5.

I have unfortunately seen the brokenness within the mental health world (secular, Protestant, and Catholic alike), and I have deep compassion for professionals who commit their lives to this work. It is an extremely taxing profession, and if I had known just how taxing this profession would be on my own health, I'm not sure I would have chosen this path. It is only by God's grace that I have not thrown in the towel completely, though I have been tempted many times to do so.

So a starting point? The Sacred Heart of Jesus. To client and clinician alike, I invite you to rest your ear upon the breast of Christ like St. John the Apostle at the Last Supper. Allow yourself to be consoled by the beat of His Sacred Heart. His Sacred Heart that loves you consistently with unconditional love. As sure as the steady beat of His Heart that resides in His chest post-resurrection. He lives and He loves you, His beloved. Be held like the infant that is consoled by the beat of their mother's heart. Behold the goodness of Our Lord, He that is worthy of all praise.

Pax et bonum.