Prayers for Surviving Depression

By Kathryn James

When depression strikes, prayer can seem impossible, a distant light in the dark land of loneliness. Words fail, and even the desire for God fades into night.

This unique prayer book offers prayers from those who have suffered through depression's dark days and night, and yet continue to search for light and strength in their faith. Together with favorite prayers from the Catholic tradition, they offer comfort and hope that God is close to the brokenhearted.

A perfect companion to Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach

Includes: Blessings and Affirmations, Guided Scriptural Meditations, Prayers of Saints who Offer Hope, Praying Through Depression, The Stations of the Cross, The Seven Sorrows of Mary, the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, Praying When You Can't Pray, Prayers for Family Members and Friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pauline Books and Media
• Release date: Mar 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780819859723

Book preview

Prayers for Surviving Depression

Compiled by Kathryn James Hermes, FSP

Boston

www.pauline.org

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hermes, Kathryn.

Prayers for surviving depression / compiled by Kathryn James Hermes

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-8198-5952-4

1. Prayer—Catholic Church. 2. Prayers. 3. Depression, Mental—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.

BV215.H52 2004

242’.4—dc 22

2004009463

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Cover photo: © 2003 Dynamic Graphics, Inc.

Interior photos: Mary Emmanuel Alves, FSP

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

P and PAULINE are registered trademarks of the Daughters of St. Paul

Copyright © 2004, Daughters of St. Paul

Published by Pauline Books & Media, 50 Saint Pauls Ave., Boston, MA 02130-3491. Printed in the U.S.A.

www.pauline.org

Pauline Books & Media is the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation of women religious serving the Church with the communications media.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 12 11 10 09 08

To Bessy, Pauline, and Carissa and all those who struggle to find the Light in the darkness.

Contents

Invitation

Some tips

1. Preparing for Prayer

2. Blessings and Affirmations

3. Seeing More Deeply

The glory of God appears in the dead branches of our lives

Those who weep shall be consoled

Jesus weeps when he has to admit failure

All is forgiven

Impossible love

Salvation is at work even in our broken dreams

4. Moments of Hope

5. Praying Through Depression

6. When You Can’t Pray

Breath prayers

Rituals

7. From Those Who’ve Been There

8. Stations of the Cross

9. The Seven Sorrows of Mary

10. Praying the Mysteries of Light in Times of Darkness

11. For Family and Friends

Prayers

Healing words to share

Selected Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Invitation

Those who suffer from depression know best how difficult it can be to pray. When you are suffering with depression, it can seem impossible to muster any energy, interest, or motivation to invest in prayer. At times God seems so far away, it appears useless to try to get God’s attention. And he probably doesn’t care anyway, we can conclude.

The very fact, however, that you are reading this book indicates that you desire to pray, and, even more, that God desires to give himself to you. This book is meant to be a prayerful companion to you during your experience of depression. While you are suffering with depression, you may not be able to pray the way you would like or the way you think you should. Remember, even your desire to pray is prayer.

During your experience of depression, your prayer will be different from your prayer at other times in your life. God may all of a sudden seem to have disappeared. If your depression follows on an illness, the death of a loved one, or an accident, you may feel God has betrayed you. At later stages of your depression, God may seem closer to you in your suffering than ever before. You may have a sense of God’s care and consolation.

A guide for prayer is one way to keep yourself—through the chaotic and confusing feelings you experience—attentive to what God is doing in your life.

Some tips

Some days you will want to pray and other days you won’t. Some days you may sense God’s care, and other days you may be angry with God. Choosing some workable and meaningful prayer forms or rituals will go a long way to keeping you steady through your struggle with depression.

Try the different prayer forms in this book and choose those that seem most helpful to you. Come back to them day after day. The forms you find helpful may shift during the weeks, months, or years you are suffering with depression. Some of the prayers in this book may be meaningful to you at points of your experience of depression, while others may make you angry. You may have to leave them aside. That is okay. Even the feelings with which you react to the prayers are sacred ground. The stability that comes from planning ahead, however, will help you open yourself up to God’s healing love.

Pray as you can, not as you can’t. But don’t give up praying! This wise advice about prayer is especially helpful to remember when you are depressed. Your prayer may be holding on to a holy card of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Your prayer may be sitting quietly and experiencing the