Father Lasch: Notes, Quotes & Comments

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Daily Scripture

Friday February 3, 2012

+ 4th Week in Ordinary Time

Everyone needs a bit of ‘pocket time’

Readings: 1 Kings 3:4-13 Psalm 119:9-14 Mark 6:30-34

The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, “You must come away to some lonely place all by ourselves and rest for a while.” [Mark 6:30]

The notion of Sabbath rest is rooted in the third of the Ten Commandments, “Keep holy the Lord’s day.” For Christians, Sunday is our Sabbath because it was the day on which the Lord rose from the dead. Holiness is the state of being whole, i.e., fully integrated, mind, soul and body. It is the acknowledgment of God as the ground of our being.

In truth, God doesn’t need the Sabbath; we do!

However, I am of the mind that we need to build into our daily routine, a mini-Sabbath or two. I call it ‘pocket time’ or time out from the pressure of our daily schedule. Some folks call it down time.

Of course, there are different strokes for different folks. A good power walk also can be a great opportunity for conversation with God. It’s an easy script. God talks and I listen.

All of us, married or single and whatever our call and career need pocket time every day and in that way we learn to live in the present moment. As my cousin frequently reminds me, “Yesterday is a cancelled check; tomorrow may never come; the present is a gift.” How true. I’m still a neophyte.

Daily Scripture Archive»

Articles in the category "notes, quotes & comments"

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A sabbatical for healing....

Tuesday September 6, 2011

My good friends,

As many of are aware, I have been fighting a battle against anxiety and depression extending back to my years advocating for victims of clergy abuse. It’s a long story and I don’t think it is necessary or appropriate for me to comment further except to state that it has taken a toll over the course of the 20 years or so that I was dealing with the issue, most of those years behind the scenes and out of the public eye.

I considered myself strong enough to handle the challenge but over time, I sleepless nights got to me, probably due to an unhealthy guilt about challenging the Church that I loved. I suppose psychologists my suggest that I transferred my devotion to my own mom to ‘Mother Church.” Who knows? It’s not an outrageous hypothesis.

In any event, I was on a prescription sleep aid – you know, one of those so-called non-addictive kinds but that can become habit-forming. Then I began to experience the rebound effect – anxiety. And it was all down hill from there. I recognized the signs and sought help but the anti-depressants and other anti-anxiety drugs were not helpful and over time have made the symptoms worse. This is not a blame game… Many good doctors did what good doctors do, but sometimes the prescription meds don’t work. At least they didn’t work for this sensitive soul. So in consultation with my trusted psychiatrist, I decided it is time to become drug free. He established a tapering down plan but it is not an easy journey, Moreover, it takes several months to get some of them out of one’s system, so I have decided that it would not be wise to do that on my own even under the supervision of my psychiatrist. So I have decided to do it ‘in patient’ at Guest House in Rochester MN, a well-known center located near the Mayo Clinic.

I expect to be there for as long as it takes to become drug free.

I will eventually have access to email and hopefully will be able to carry on my website ministry in time.

In the meantime, I ask for your kindly thoughts and prayers as you can count on mine.

I hear the winter begins early in Minnesota but the warmth of healing is more important that the cold air and heavy snow.

As the saying goes, “I want my life back” so that I can do all the things I have loved to do for almost fifty years.

My best to you and more.

Father Lasch

Guest House
4800 48th St NE
Rochester MN 55906