Show Notes
Overall Takeaways
Dr. Gerry shares his own journey as a survivor of child abuse, how it formed his own thoughts about himself, and how he eventually found light, love and healing through God as he and Dr. Peter explore this week’s readings.
Key Verses from Sunday Mass Readings
“Not as man sees does God see,
Because man sees the appearance
But the Lord looks into the heart.”
“Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil for you are at my side.”
“Awake, O sleeper,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
“‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
That he was born blind?’
Jesus answered,
‘Neither he nor his parents sinned;
It is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”
Where Catholicism Meets Psychology
As a victim of abuse, Dr. Gerry shares that, as a child, he always believed he did something wrong to deserve the abuse, just as the Pharisees believed the blind man deserved his blindness due to sin.
For children, it’s too overwhelming to believe your caregivers are abusive or neglectful. Instead, they need to believe they are bad because the perception is they have control. If they can become good enough, they won’t deserve the abuse or neglect anymore and it will stop.
This coping response has significant consequences psychologically. It’s easy to believe you’re outside redemption, suffer from isolation and begin to despair.
It’s hard to go to God when you feel like He’s abandoned you. It’s like a psychological auto-immune disorder: we tend to avoid what we need most.
Jesus touches the blind man’s eyes and then tells him to wash and see. When we allow Jesus to touch us while also doing our part by getting help if needed, we become a soldier of light.
With that healing can come the recognition that greater good can come from bad things that God allowed to happen.
Action Plan for the Week
* Do an act of kindness for your body this week. That might be taking a relaxing bath, having a massage, getting your nails done, or anything else that appeals to you personally. Recognize God’s love in that activity.
* If you find it difficult to see God’s love in caring for your body, notice that and bring that to prayer or to a therapist to understand why.