A Christian Response to Depression

We recently celebrated the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving.  In the secular sense, we give thanks for our bounty, for family and friends.  In the liturgical sense, since the Greek word for "giving thanks" is "eucharisteo", we remember that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we give thanks for God's blessings and for the sacrifice of His Beloved Son.

It's a beautiful holiday.  But what about those who find it hard to be thankful?  What about those who can't find their way out of the darkness into the light?

Today I went to see a new movie, "Frozen", in the theatre with my mom.  From the trailer, I thought it was going to be a movie about a snowman, which is the main reason we went.  My mom collects snowmen.  At the peak of our Christmas decorating some years back, I counted all the snowmen in our house.  There were close to 90.  Snowmen throw blankets, snowmen statues, snowmen candle holders, ornaments, you name it.  Needless to say, this movie was going to be right up my mom's alley.

It was actually about two young royal women who lost their parents at an early age.  The older princess then became queen.  She also had a dark secret of having magic, and was told she could not share this secret with anyone else.  She withdrew within herself and could not share her burden with anybody, even her dear sister.  It finally came to a point she could not control her magic, and she accidentally cast a deep winter over her kingdom.  She unleashed the storm building up inside of her onto everyone else, and couldn't find a way to make it stop.  Finally she discovered that only love could conquer her icy heart. 

All that time, people misunderstood her.  Her parents hid her and forced her to contain her secret, to avoid feeling the way she felt.  Once her secret was revealed, her own country abandoned her and found her treasonous.  Only her younger sister remained faithful, even when the queen shunned her.  The princess refused to believe the queen was lost to her, and continually sought her trust and confidence.

What a beautiful portrayal of the Christian response to depression.  We all have low moments, but many of us who do not have severe, diagnosed depression or other mental health issues can find it hard to relate to those who do.  We just don't understand when they can't come out of their shell and break free of whatever is bothering them.  We are confused that often they don't have a specific reason for feeling down.  The dignity of the human person is imprinted onto the human soul, made in the image and likeness of God.  A person does not become less human when they do not feel worthy.  Just because a person doesn't recognize their own goodness doesn't mean they aren't good.  In times when dignity is unrecognizable to a person, the Christian response is to love.  It is to remind that person they are wanted, to remind others that the person is wanted, to build an environment of support and tender care around that person.  As despair looms, a certain spiritual battle is waging in which others may need to step in to fight for that person when they are at their lowest.  In other words, the Christian response also involves community.  Nobody must feel that they must fight alone.  Our trials affect everyone around us.  

A prevailing mindset today is that no one wants to be a burden.  Physician-assisted suicide is gaining momentum because patients don't want to overload their families.  In so many of these cases, there is an underlying depression that is not being addressed.  What we must remember is that it is ok to be a burden.  It is a blessing to let another share in pain.  People are made to feel that they are being selfish by sharing their heartache with another.  It is satan himself who would like us to be isolated from the Body of Christ.  We must not allow that to happen.

O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.

By Saint Ignatius of Loyola 




(On an off-topic note, Idina Menzel was the voice of the older sister.  I love Idina Menzel.  I was one happy camper.  Eerily similar to her role in Wicked...strong powers, misunderstood, starts to use them for dark purposes...)