Keep the Faith

On this weekend, I've found myself confronted with my faith in many occasions and I've got some conclusions about it. First, know that I'm a Catholic and that I'm still a Catholic. Second, know that I've had some amazing experiences with members of the church, and I've seen that faith can be a huge motivator in someone's life as it gives us a meaning, something to cling to.

But I study psychology, and I've seen how harsh church has been with people with mental and physical conditions. I've seen how they've been called possessed by demons, curses and stuff like that. Through history. And yes, I know that it has changed, but somehow the mentality of psychological and physical issues are connected to a mystical thing and therefore that's the explanation and solution.

I'm not denying evil things happen. I'm not denying evil exists, I do believe it does. And as it does, I believe in greater good. I believe that good exists, guided by love and compassion, and that the religion I participate in is founded in those principles which are often forgotten. 

And this week, for things of destiny, I found myself in discussions explaining to people why people with mental health issues are mental health issues. Not religious issues. 

Yes, faith can be a huge mobilizer. I do, I pray a lot and I've found in prayer and meditation strength and understanding. I've found inspiration in some saints lives, as Saint Therese of Avila, and a patron who gets my pain. But I believe that part of the education and desestigmatization relies in accepting conditions for what they are. And even some are more stigmatized than others, or harder to get, that doesn't mean they have a diabolical component. I believe, saying someone that, that they are the way they are because the devil resides in them can be absolutely traumatic. 

Having a mental health condition is a burden enough, is hard enough, is traumatic and difficult enough. And if you add to that the fact of demons and possessions, well it doesn't make it any easier. I do believe that it helps to give it all to God, and to say that if this is the path I must walk, He will guide me to get why it is so hard. But I do believe in a mercy full, loving, caring God who loves us, the ones who suffer, more than we imagine. And part of showing the love, the charity, the compassion and caring, is to make people feel that they are worth it no matter their conditions, and to never, ever, make them feel like an outcast. 

And there resides my fight. That even if you have a diagnosis, people won't get you and act in a manner someone doesn't understand, that doesn't mean you are evil or the evil resides in you. Even if your condition makes you disconnect from reality, which makes it so much harder for you and the ones you love to get by, that doesn't mean you are evil or the evil resides in you. 

There's no greater teaching that I've got from being a Catholic than love. Love is the greatest force of the planet. Love is what makes everything meaningful, as my favorite Saint said 5 centuries ago. Love is the greatest manifestation of God. And to love others is to accept them, diagnosis or not, and to know they are good enough as any other human being. Love means that you can get treated, and have a perfectly imperfect life full of loving yourself and others.

That's why I'm still a Catholic. As much as somethings are hard to deal with, I believe in love greater than any kind of evil. And that when you battle a condition, you can feel like you are living in hell. But you are not possessed, you are one hell of a warrior. And God will be proud of you for that. 

Mariana