My Dwelling Place

    This week's  mental health story is a little different than it has been in past weeks. Rather than hearing the testimony of someone within our local Vancouver archdiocese, we are reading the story of the prophet Elijah. Though it far preceeds 2025, Elijah's experience with suffering and the response of the Lord is an appropriate example of how God cares for our suffering, and how we ourselves should respond to it.      To explain some background information that is necessary for understanding the context of this passage, Elijah, a Jewish prophet, was just threatened by Jezebel, the daughter of a ruler of a nearby area. Jezebel is upset with Elijah because he reconverted a number of people who were worshipping pagan gods that she had introduced to them. Now, rather than believing in Baal and Asherah, these people believed in Yahweh/God.      Because of this, Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah, and he flees out of fear.  In the face of t...

     Hi everyone! This week, I thought that it would be good to reflect on the Gospel where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, as it is essentially foreshadowing what is to come later in Holy Week. Within John's gospel, when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, that is the final straw for the Pharisees who decide then and there to have Him arrested.    In the moment that He performed the sign, Jesus first asked for Martha's belief that He was the Messiah who would bring about the raising of the dead. Jesus knew that He would bring Lazarus to life again. And yet He was moved to tears by the whole circumstance, because He had empathy for the suffering of Martha and Mary.      As you read through this gospel passage, I invite you to reflect on what Jesus is trying to tell you through His conversation with the other biblical characters. In the face of their suffering, He feels so deeply for them that He cries. How do you think He feels when He sees th...

  Trigger Warning: Depression, Abuse, Loss of family members.      I enjoy writing novels, reading books, listening to music, dancing, and spending time with my family and pets. I was involved in Campus Ministry as well as the soup kitchen- the Door is Open, for the entirety of my time in high school. As well, I often did readings during Mass (both during my time in elementary and high school) and was an altar server at my parish for a few years. Currently, I am involved in UBC’s Cancer Association and am doing a faith study with the CCO (Catholic Christian Outreach) at UBC.      I was baptized as a baby and regularly went to Mass with my mom and sister as a young child. However, I never truly began believing in God or Christ until I switched from a public school to a Catholic school and became more involved in the faith. I originally had a bad outlook on the Church community not because of any personal negative experience with it, but because my fath...