Dear Saints,
This past week I made a hospital visit to be with a dying woman and to pray with her family. In the midst of that visit, I had some time to sit with her son. We spoke honestly, as people often do in those moments when life becomes very real.
At one point he asked me a simple question: “Father, have you ever been overwhelmed?”
I told him the truth: yes, I have.
It was an important moment, because sometimes people assume that feeling overwhelmed must mean something is wrong spiritually — that our faith is weak, that we are failing somehow, that we should be “handling things better.”
But being overwhelmed is not always a spiritual problem. Often it is simply part of being human.
There are seasons of real strain: grief, exhaustion, uncertainty, loneliness, illness, financial pressure, family burdens. Our hearts are heavy, our minds race, and our bodies wear down. None of that automatically means we are far from God. Sometimes it means we are carrying more than we were meant to carry alone.
St. Ignatius of Loyola speaks about times of consolation and desolation, and he reminds us that desolation is not always a sign of sin or failure — it can also come from natural causes: fatigue, sorrow, stress, the limits of our strength. In those moments, what matters is not pretending we are fine, but turning toward the Lord and toward one another.
The Christian life is not lived in isolation. We are a parish precisely so that we do not have to face life’s storms alone. We share burdens. We pray for one another. We walk together. We learn, slowly, how to endure and even to thrive where God has planted us.
If you are overwhelmed right now, I want you to know: you are not alone, and you do not have to carry everything by yourself.
OLMC has real people and real resources to help: men’s and women’s groups, our Stephen Ministers who are trained to provide care and presence, and Imago Dei Behavioral Health, which is part of our parish community and exists to support those navigating anxiety, grief, and emotional strain.
Sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is simply reach out.
If you or someone you love is struggling, please call the parish office. Let us help. We'll pray and walk this path together.
Christ’s Peace,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ