Meditation for Anxiety
The Catholic Morning when it begins with Meditation and Mental prayer, promises to slowly heal Anxiety.
I’m talking about the type of Anxiety that cripples. The type that sometimes makes it seem our life is not worth living.
To be anxiety-free about the uncertainties of life is possible through meditation and mental prayer.
Worrying about a few bills or being concerned that you are not going to be able to afford a holiday this year is not a major issue.
What we hope to heal is the major, excessive apprehension of just having to live, move and function away from our safe haven.
Table of Contents
Fear Not
“Fear not” is one of Heaven’s loving greetings.
274 times our Holy Scriptures say “Fear not”. Of those, 47 times are in the New Testament.
It’s such a loving reassuring thing to say, isn’t it. “Fear not”. “Don’t be anxious”
God’s angels constantly began their messages to humans with the words “Fear not”. You can just imagine God commanding His angel,
“Take this message to …, but before you impart my words remember that they will be frightened at the sight of you. Your appearance will startle them. You will feel their anxiety, you will see fear in their eyes. Immediately reassure them. I suggest you begin with, “Fear not.” Then give them this message…”
God addresses our Anxiety
“And the angel said to Her, “Fear not Mary for thou hast found grace with God.” (Luke 1:30)
“And the angel said to him, ‘Fear not Zacary for thy prayer is heard.”
(Luke 1:13)
“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy’”. (Luke 2:10)
How does Meditation and Mental prayer heal anxiety?
Immediately after they were told to “fear not” their anxiety was dispelled because they were so intent on listening to God’s message to them.
Because of her concern for her cousin Elizabeth we see that Mary moved quickly after she received the angel’s message.. Although a young girl she set out immediately to travel far away from the safety of her home and went into the hill country to help and be of service to Her cousin Elizabeth.
However she had God with Her. She carried Him in Her womb. How could she feel the least bit of anxiety at the journey she was about to undertake? Her full focus would have been on moving in the will of God. Her mind, taken up with the greatness of God and His concern for His people on earth, She had no time to fear for Her own safety.
The shepherds recovering from their shock were soon on their feet and off in search of the baby Jesus and His mother. They totally believed the message God had graced them with. They were euphoric as they descended the hill to Bethlehem in search of a baby laid in a manger. “A manger!”
Only Zachary failed. Well for a little while anyway. He didn’t lisen wisely to God’s special message to him. He blocked it with his own fears. He disbelieved and so he was struck dumb. That meant of course that he could not function properly as a priest. How did he get his speech back? Zachary finally did the will of God. He wrote down the name of his new born son. Not a family name. The name God above had chosen for this baby who would be the forerunner of Christ.
Out of Control
To fear is a lack of trust in God. I know anxiety does not seem to work that way. We do not actually call up the fear because we are afraid. The anxiety comes on its own. Just as unwanted thoughts come unbidden into our heads “out of the blue.”
The thoughts are there in the recess of our minds, we just don’t know what ignites them and causes them to spring forward to the front of our attention and paralyse us. We are also incapable of reasoning the thoughts to a more logical conclusion.
What is missing from our will to overcome the anxiety that is charging the emotion of fear that they are uncontrollable?
Its the ‘out of control’ element that is so disconcerting.
Secular meditation or non christian meditation is for relaxation and has proven to be very beneficial for anxiety.
But Catholic meditation done properly, works so well because it focuses on the real issues within ones life as opposed to the unnecessary panic and apprehension we experience in our lives.
How does it Work
Entering into the meditation we choose to consider a fault that we commit on a regular basis. It is our ‘predominant’ fault that we ought to consider.
Often coming into a position of prayer we would be inclined to pray for our healing of our agoraphobia or anxiety or depression.
However because Jesus has promised, “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added onto you.”, we are going to put aside our emotional and mental health problems and instead we are seeking to become “perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect”.
That means shedding, rooting out from deep within us the sins we commit. We are doing this for love of God because …. Believe me that’s the best reason for doing it. In following the saints in Mental Prayer we are rising up to do what God wants. Our own worldly issues are put aside and we concern ourselves with only those that effect our soul before God.
During Mental Prayer we enter into the place where God is. He enters into the place where we are. In that joining there is no room for fear or anxiety. Those concepts do not exist in the Divine.
Love transforms us. God has always loved us. We need to move into a place where we are emotionally, mentally, spiritually ready to receive the love and graces of God to accomplish our healing from fear.
Receiving the Grace of Healing
Do NOT fear. that’s right do not look forward and fear the fear. You can control this. However only God can control those deeper fears which plague you . These fears reside in the spiritual part of the human psyche .
Often the anxiety and panic attacks are caused by horrid little demons that enjoy prodding human emotion to cause unhappiness and pull souls away from God. Check is there an unconfessed sin or a fault continually committed that is giving entrance to these enemies of God.
Be very very careful of that voice of Satan in your head that says: “The world would be better off without you.” or worse still. “Your children would be better off without you.” It’s strange how this lie can sound so true to tortured mind.
These thoughts often begin with “I can’t do this any more.” Don’t just ignore this statement. Don’t just push on through hoping things will get better. Address the statement with the Holy Name of Jesus. Command it “In Jesus name begone”. And put a bit of fire into your command.
Talk to Our Blessed Lord about this first seed of despair when next you do your mental prayer. Make a firm commitment to spend more time thanking Him for His many gifts.
As you become more firmly established in the kingdom of God through your personal time spent with Jesus, fears and anxiety melt away. It does work.
