Missionaries of the Sacred

Job "depressed"?

It seems to me that the first reading catches Job in a time of deep depression. He can’t sleep at night and does not want to get-up in the morning. Life seems to be an unbearable burden. A great suffering in his life has made him lose, at least temporarily, his desire to live.

Depression has many causes. Sometimes it’s a chemical imbalance problem in the body. Many times it comes when we cannot understand our sufferings, disillusionments and losses. We lose control of our lives and feel very alone and so stuff all of our feelings inside, leaving no energy for anything more than existence.

Depression is dangerous and today should be treated professionally. Treating depression also has a spiritual component. Finding God at the bottom of the deep pit, into which we have fallen, will give us the hope and energy we need to find the way out. We discover that God is present and listening when we groan and cry-out to him. We may never discover the “why” for what has happened to us, but simply knowing that God is with us will allow us to live without trying to control and to be at peace with the unknown. Energy found in God’s love will bring us back to life.

Maybe Simon’s mother-in-law in the Gospel was also depressed. When Jesus grasped her hand and helped her up, she began to serve again. We pray today for those who may be depressed that they might discover the hand of God stretched-out to them and that they too can get-up and serve again.

Fr. Joseph Jablonski, MSC