Peace and Trust: God’s Answer to Anxiety

(2,730 words, 14 minutes read time.)

Jesus and Mary Understand Our Suffering

Anxiety is something that has touched every human being.

It touched even the lives of Jesus and Mary.

When Mary and Joseph searched for the Child Jesus for three days, they experienced great anguish. Their distress was more than ordinary concern, for they did not know where Jesus was, and they carried the most important responsibility ever entrusted to parents: caring for the very Son of God.

In the life of Jesus, we also see sorrow and deep distress. He shed tears over Jerusalem and wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. He was troubled by Judas’ betrayal and by the Passion that lay before Him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced profound anguish, distress, and natural human fear as He faced His Passion. He even sweated blood as His humanity wrestled with the most terrifying chalice of suffering. Yet He prayed that the Father’s will be done, not His own.

In moments of suffering from anxiety, the Rosary mystery of the Crowning with Thorns can be especially relatable, prayerful, and grace-filled. Ponder the physical pain Jesus endured as sharp thorns pierced His sacred head—the throbbing, the dizziness, the humiliation of the mockery, and the anguish He endured. In this mystery, we see that Jesus entered deeply into human suffering, including the sufferings of the mind and heart. He is therefore a source of profound comfort for those who struggle with anxiety, mental illness, head injuries, intrusive thoughts, and every form of interior distress.

An important distinction taught by Catholic spiritual writers is that Jesus and Mary experienced natural fear, sorrow, distress, and anguish. What they did not experience was the kind of anxiety that leads to distrust of God, discouragement, or the loss of interior peace. We can relate to them in their humanity, but it is a holy humanity that always remained united to God. Even the saints feel deeply and suffer greatly. In Our Lady, we see that peace and joy can coexist with even the deepest sorrows.

***

The Saints Learned to Trust

The Apostles also experienced anxiety. After the death of Jesus, they hid in the Upper Room, fearing they would be next. Yes, they were hiding. Yet at Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit, and a new conversion took place within them. The Spirit empowered them to overcome their weaknesses and live with supernatural courage.

St. Paul, who joined the Church later, endured countless imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks, dangers, and sufferings of every kind. Yet even in prison, he sang praises to God. He refused to allow suffering to separate him from trust in the Lord. If he ever faltered, he returned to God and persevered. That is what saints-in-the-making are made of. Yet we all have a beginning, and in that we can easily relate to the Apostles.

***

The Real Danger of Anxiety

Based on the teachings of Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1488), we should be especially concerned with anxiety and discouragement in our pursuit of holiness. These obstacles often spring from disordered self-love. Self-love, as the saints use the term, is not healthy self-respect. It is the tendency to cling to our own will rather than abandon ourselves to God’s loving providence. Trust steers us in grace and virtue. We need peace and confidence in God to remain united to Him and to hear His gentle inspirations. In this way, His love comes to reign more fully in our hearts.

***

Spiritual Childhood: The Little Way of Trust

One beautiful way the saints have learned this trust is through what has come to be known as spiritual childhood.

Many times in Scripture, the Lord lovingly portrays His divine protection as sheltering us beneath His wings. As a hen gathers her chicks, so the Lord gathers us into the safety of His embrace.

In this spirit of littleness, we can take to heart the spiritual childhood taught and lived by many saints. St. Faustina, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and Mother Angelica especially resonate with me in their childlike dependence upon Father God. Jesus told St. Faustina that He appeared to her as a child to teach her humility and simplicity. He also entrusted to the Church the Divine Mercy message and the simple prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You,” reminding us that trust is essential to the spiritual life.

Spiritual childhood, or the Little Way, is a comforting and powerful path for those who suffer from anxiety. Like a small child who falls asleep in a loving father’s arms, we learn to rest our fears in the Heart of God. It teaches us the littleness that surrenders our thoughts, desires, fears, and worries into the loving care of the Father. In doing so, we learn to abide in a peaceful trust. As we exercise trust, our trust grows. Little by little, He leads us into this place of rest with Him.

***

Marian Devotion

A loving, devoted relationship with the Mother of God—who is also our spiritual Mother—pours out marvelous graces into our lives and souls. Her intercession is the most powerful among the saints for drawing us closer to Christ, helping us persevere on the path of salvation, and protecting us in spiritual battles. The Lord has exalted her above all the saints, crowning her Queen of Heaven and Earth. At the foot of the Cross, Jesus said to St. John, “Behold, your mother,” and to Mary, “Behold, your son.” In those words, He entrusted her to us as our Mother—a precious spiritual Mother who loves us with a perfect maternal love and continually leads us to her Son.

A paraphrase of Venerable Fulton Sheen:

The Rosary is a remarkable aid for souls burdened by fear, unhappiness, frustration, or distress because it unites three dimensions of prayer at once: our physical actions, our spoken prayers, and our interior life with God.

How true this is. The Rosary brings such deep peace of heart.

Around the time I was hospitalized and homeless, I began wearing a Miraculous Medal, which was later blessed. Not long afterward, I miraculously met Sr. Theresa, who befriended me and eventually welcomed me into her hermitage. Those were tremendous graces. Over the years, I have continued to experience countless blessings that I believe have come, in great part, through Mary’s loving intercession, invited through the sacramentals of the Church and her constant motherly care.

Later, I was enrolled in the Brown Scapular, a beautiful sign of devotion to Our Lady and a reminder to live faithfully under her maternal protection. I believe this deepened my love for Our Blessed Mother and strengthened my trust in her guidance.

Some years later, while discerning my application to my Carmelite community, I discovered the 33-Day Marian Consecration. It felt as though Our Lady drew even closer, like a mother gathering her child beneath her mantle. During that season, I faced many challenges through illness, medical treatments, and spiritual warfare. I truly believe her loving intercession and powerful protection helped carry me safely through those difficult years. She has undoubtedly accompanied me throughout my journey in Carmel, sustaining me through many trials. She is truly a Mother no child of God should want to be without.

Today, I experience a much deeper peace, and I gratefully attribute so much of it to her loving intercession.

As a final note, I later added an exorcised St. Benedict Medal—blessed with the Church’s traditional priestly prayers—to the same necklace chain as my Miraculous Medal. The Church has long associated St. Benedict’s medal with prayers for protection through his intercession. Together, these sacramentals have become constant reminders to entrust myself to God, seek the prayers of His saints, and rest in His providence. The enemy often attacks our weakest places, those still in need of healing, yet through God’s grace and the powerful intercession of Our Lady and St. Benedict, we can find strength, protection, and a lasting peace of heart, mind, and soul.

***

Guarding Peace During Spiritual Battles

Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J., in his essential work on the spiritual life, Abandonment to Divine Providence, compares the loss of peace to leaving everything else behind to extinguish a house fire. Catholic teachers have often observed that marital divorces—and we could also add departures from the priesthood and other vocations—frequently occur during times of desolation. This is a season of clouding of the intellect and soul, when the enemy tends to speak the loudest.

The Ignatian Rules for the Discernment of Spirits teach Catholics how to navigate these spiritual swings that we all experience. We most easily choose grace during times of consolation, when the skies of our soul are sunny and bright. How many poor decisions are made simply because we have not learned to guard our peace?

***

My Own Journey with Anxiety

I understand the serious struggles many experience with anxiety disorders, as I carry some of these crosses myself. Yet I have found that beyond Catholic talk therapy/trauma therapy, implementing spiritual disciplines—especially daily mental prayer, the Examen, and the discernment of spirits—has brought tremendous peace to my mind and soul. The anxiety that remains is usually manageable at this point, and I offer it to Jesus and Mary.

At the end of our lives, many of us will face a final battle. We will need to know how to cling to Jesus in trust and affirm, with hope and love, all of His promises. Especially His unconditional, radical love and desire for our souls! He permits these trials to draw forth great virtue within us—virtue that will carry us into His arms. That is why we must respect His will regarding the timing and manner of the natural death He desires for each of us.

When I left home after my hospitalization and lay awake at night in the shelter, my anxiety was overwhelming. Terrors flooded my mind, and I could not stop them. I did not yet know about prayers of renunciation (“In Jesus Name, I renounce ____”) or the Ignatian Rules for Discernment of Spirits. More importantly, the Lord needed to gradually heal my disordered self-love—a lifelong work!—so that His love could reign more fully in my soul. Only then did I gain greater freedom to direct my thoughts and prayers toward Him. I still experience moments of crippling anxiety, but they are far less frequent and far shorter-lived than in those early days. When part of it is rooted in genetics, physiology, and Lyme disease, it does not go away completely. The Lord has left me a small piece of His Cross to carry, as He does with many of His beloved souls.

***

Wound Healing Through Therapies

I also want to give a little attention to therapy with a solid Catholic therapist. When I switched from a secular therapist to a Catholic religious sister, it was a night-and-day difference. I knew I was loved, understood, and guided according to the faith. I see her for talk therapy and, at times, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). I have also begun working with a Catholic trauma therapist to do deeper healing of past wounds.

My therapist shared that Sr. Miriam James Heidland often incorporates Internal Family Systems (IFS) and CoreSelf approaches in her work. Dr. Bob Schuchts also frequently draws on IFS-informed principles. I once heard on a podcast that many people have experienced significant freedom (95%) from OCD symptoms through IFS therapy, which I found encouraging.

EMDR is another therapy that many people have found helpful for healing trauma. One insight I have appreciated from these therapies is that we often develop protective strategies to cope with painful wounds. These “protectors” and “managers” can take many forms, and while they serve a purpose, they may also keep us from reaching the deeper places that need the Lord’s healing.

In my own IFS therapy, we use images quite a bit. Since I struggle with imagination, I create simple images with ChatGPT to pray with during my personal prayer time.

It is also important to practice gentle self-care after therapy sessions. This may include exercising, calling a friend, journaling, taking a walk while holding your Rosary beads, rocking quietly in a chair, or other calming activities. Healing is usually gradual. The deeper wounds are often reached only after patiently working through many layers.

If you have wounds that seem “stuck,” I would gently encourage you to consider seeking a faithful Catholic therapist. Be sure to find someone who is licensed to practice in your state.

***

The Father Truly Cares for Us

St. Peter encourages us to cast all our anxieties upon the Lord because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly calls us not to worry but to trust in Him. Jesus points to the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, reminding us that our Heavenly Father cares for them. How much more, then, does He care for His children—the very souls He died to redeem? Every day, throughout the world, He offers Himself in the Eucharist, giving His very life to our souls!

Spend some time in Eucharistic Adoration. Let His loving and holy Face gaze upon you as you gaze upon Him. Allow Him to embrace your heart, calm your fears and worries, and fill you with the quiet assurance of His loving Presence and care.

I can attest to God’s care. When I was homeless, God sent me Sr. Theresa and Fr. David. They are rare and heroic souls. Out of all the places I could have been sent, He led me directly to their city and placed Sr. Theresa in my path at Church. God truly cares for those who pray and place their trust in Him, even when that trust is weak and trembling, as mine once was.

***

A Catholic Approach to Interior Peace

One caution is worth mentioning. Lay Carmelite Susan Brinkmann, in her writings on mindfulness (book), explains concerns about detached awareness, altered states of consciousness, and the practice of observing thoughts without engaging them in the light of Christ. The Catholic alternative she presents is Christian recollection: being present to the moment while consciously remaining in God’s presence.

This is beautifully taught in the beloved classic The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. The book is short and simple, yet profoundly transformative. Recollection is a gradual process of prayer that deepens through the mansions of the soul described by St. Teresa of Avila. Recently, Pope Leo has made this book even more popular!

***

A Prayer for Trust

I see, Lord. I see what You mean when You teach us to guard our hearts for You. You do not want us drifting from Your will—for our vocation, our mission, our daily encounters, our life lessons, or the unique way of the Cross and love You have carved out for each of us. You do not want us wandering into harm’s way. You designed the path that leads us to Heaven, and we must learn to follow You.

Equip us, Lord. Train us to know right from wrong. Teach us to discern Your peace from turbulence. Jesus, I trust in You! Jesus, I love You!

Amen.

***

Practical Helps for Anxiety

Sr. Miriam James Heidland - podcasts, videos, books.
Dr. Bob Schuchts - podcasts, videos, books.
Matthew 6:24-34 (meditation on trust)
Into The Deep — Dan Burke
Giving Up Worry for Lent — Gary Zimak
Finding Peace in the Storm — Dan Burke
Searching for and Maintaining Peace — Fr. Jacques Philippe
Abandonment to Divine Providence (TAN Books) — Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J.
The Sacrament of the Present Moment (Harper) — Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J.
The Way of Trust and Love  — Fr. Jacques Philippe
33 Days To Morning Glory — Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC
Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul
Let Our Lord love you today: Guided Meditation (click)
Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits— Dan Burke
The Discernment of Spirits — Fr. Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V.
A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness — Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Deliverance Prayers: For Use by the Laity — Fr. Chad Ripperger
Website for Prayers – https://www.catholicexorcism.org/
Deeper Examination – https://spiritualdirection.com/exam
Examination of Conscience – Fr. Robert Altier