Welcome to Issue #9 of Biblia Luna! In this weekly newsletter, I share a few things each week related to mental illness and faith.
Crazy Lectionary (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
The gospel text for Sunday, October 9 is Luke 17:11-19. In this story, Jesus heals ten people who have leprosy, and they all run off (at his command) to show themselves to the priests. That’s an important detail, because leprosy was as much a societal disease as a physical one. Once you were said to have leprosy, you had to stay away from everyone until a priest declared that you were again clean, and you could regain your place in society. So running off to the priest was actually part of their healing, and what’s more, Jesus told them to do so!
Which makes it so strange to me how Jesus responds to them. You see, of the ten, one of them turned back, praised God, and thanked Jesus. And Jesus praises that one, telling him that his “faith has made him well,” but he seems dismissive of and annoyed at the other nine for not turning back. And I just don’t get that. Did he heal them only in order to be thanked? One possible explanation is Jesus makes mention that the one who turned back is a Samaritan, a people hated by the Jews. Perhaps Jesus was pointing out that sometimes outsiders “get it” better than insiders do. I don’t know.
But it reminds me of how sometimes we too can get frustrated and annoyed when someone doesn’t thank us for doing something for them. We sometimes think that they are being rude or ungrateful. And sometimes that is what’s happening. But I also know that there are times in our lives when we’re simply unable to offer thanks, so overwhelmed or so confused or so hurting that it simply doesn’t occur to us. And I think sometimes that’s because of a mental illness. Some mental illnesses can put us into such a fog that we just don’t recognize certain social cues, that we just don’t fully comprehend what’s going on around us.
I try (and I emphasize try, because I’m by no means good at this) to remember that I never know what’s going on behind someone’s eyes. They could be struggling with something I can’t even imagine. And sometimes that something will stop them from relating to me the way I’d prefer.
So, yeah – I’m kind of scolding Jesus here for not recognizing the emotional pain and suffering those nine lepers had gone through. Do I know how to treat people better than Jesus does? Hardly. But maybe this is an example of how even the best of us sometimes forget to keep in mind that we just don’t know what’s in our neighbor’s head.
What I’m Reading This Week
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a fantastic organization that offers programs and support for people with mental illness and their families throughout the United States. Just last week, they released their first book, You Are Not Alone by Dr. Ken Duckworth. I’ve been reading it since I downloaded a copy to my Kindle a few days ago, and so far it’s great. It seems to be a well-researched and compassionate handbook on how to find help within the mental health system, which is not always the easiest system to navigate. I’ll let you know how it goes, and I’ll probably be recommending it as a “helpful resource” in a future newsletter.
Helpful Resource
NAMI FaithNet is a resource of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It’s not a religious organization itself, but rather an attempt to provide a framework for places of worship and other faith communities to come together and network. It also has a lot of resources available, such as prayers, suggestions for faith-based support groups, tips on how to become a more welcoming place, and a lot more. Check out NAMI FaithNet here.
Darkwater Update
This is an exciting week! I have two podcast interviews lined up, which will hopefully turn into some great publicity once the episodes drop! Once I know when they’ll air, I’ll let you know where you can find them.
Plus, I had a wonderful conversation a few days ago with my bishop, who just finished reading Darkwater. He loved it, and felt that it would be a helpful book for a wide audience. He has some ideas on how we might work with it in our synod. So — watch this space for more, hopefully!
Biblia Blessing
I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.
— John 16:33, Common English Bible
I totally enjoy reading BL every week..Short, easy to read and to the point. Congratulations on all the awesome things happening for you!