McGrath Institute Blog

Looking for new ideas or resources to engage your faith or your ministry? Here are our weekly curated links, including offerings in each of the following categories: Prayer for the Home, Educational Opportunities, Resources (for ministers, educators, parents, etc.), and Flourishing and Fun.

I never used to be a wailer or fist banger. I didn’t understand what would drive people to do such things. That was before. Before my child’s brain broke. As my son slipped deeper into schizophrenia, I lost parts of myself, too. I lost my balance as I tried to navigate this bewildering maze of new behaviors and medical resources until I felt consumed by a rage and then a wailing cry to God to help me.

“It is good that you exist.”

This beautiful phrase from Principles of Catholic Theology by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Benedict XVI) succinctly captures the inherent truth underlying a Catholic understanding of supporting and loving those with a mental illness. Despite my instinct to argue that this is self-evident and simple, yet another pope reminds me that a Catholic understanding of mental illness requires important theological reflection and incorporation of the most updated neuropsychiatric knowledge in order to affirm this truth.

Looking for new ideas or resources to engage your faith or your ministry? Here are our weekly curated links, including offerings in each of the following categories: Prayer for the Home, Educational Opportunities, Resources (for ministers, educators, parents, etc.), and Flourishing and Fun.

Experiencing anxiety is a common problem that leads many people to seek counseling and therapy. Whether about work, family life, unexpected setbacks, one’s future, or one’s children and their problematic behaviors, anxiety-inducing events abound. Anxiety is the result of threats existing in our lives, whether real or perceived. For those experiencing problematic anxiety, it may be hard to distance from these threats. In the fortunate case that one is able to do so successfully, it is often not long before the threat and associated emotion returns. As a result, we may struggle to be the person God sees within us. We may experience less joy or be more likely to negatively impact the lives of those around us. Outbursts of anger, disputes, and dissension are also common with anxiety. We know that this anxiety is burdensome, but what is there to do about it?