How Much Is a Human Worth?
A man asked his friend on the next bar stool why he looked so sad. The depressed man said it was because he was angry with his wife, and to retaliate, she had threatened not to say a word to him for a full month.
“That should make you happy, if she irks you that much,” said the friend.
“It did, but today is the last day,” he groaned.
Real clinical depression is anything but humorous; it entails more than experiencing the “Monday morning blues” or some other limited period of negative feelings. Clinical depression, which involves a constellation of syndromes, is defined as a period of more than two weeks of severe emotional distress, sometimes while functionally incapacitated. It is the most common psychiatric disorder, affecting, at one time or another, approximately 15 percent of our adult population. Fortunately, there are a number of successful therapies available today for this common problem.
God witnessed what psychiatrists witness every day--the futility of trying to talk depressed persons out of their depression; they’re not disposed to be uplifted from their mental misery by mere promises. The Lord commanded Moses to tell the dispirited Israelites about the Promised Land that awaited them, but to no avail: “Moses told this to the Israelites; but they would not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit” (Ex 6:9, emphasis mine).
Jesus, “because he himself was tested by what he suffered, is able to help those who are being tested . . . for he was not one unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are” (Heb 2:18; 4:15). Thus, he was not exempt from depression at the sight of the flood of evil in the world that needed redemption. Due to his distress, “his sweat was like great drops of blood falling to the ground” (Lk 22:44) as he anguished, “I am deeply grieved, even to death” (Mk 14:34). He found his solace only in his trust in the will of his Father: “Not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39).
A number of biblical personages were afflicted with depression, including Ahab, Saul, Amnon, and David. David, who himself was later afflicted with this problem, was instrumental in exorcising Saul of his “evil spirit of depression” by a God-given charism of holy music (see 1 Sm 16:23).
Three times David questioned himself about his own depression, arising mostly from guilt feelings and persecution. Three times he answered with the same words: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Trust in God.” (Ps 42:5, 11; 43:5, emphasis mine).
The more intractable the problem, the more there is a need for trust in the Lord to lift that crushing problem from our shoulders. Sometimes our compassionate God rewards our trust by healing through natural means such as medicine, counseling, and the like (see Sir 38); at other times he acts by his special direct and often almost miraculous intervention. We must trust him, not only for the cure, but also for his choice of the means to that cure. Furthermore, those with even deeper trust will rely on him to prevent disorders, not just to cure them.
This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.