Hear the Word: Catholic Psychotherapy and Faith: Reflections on Seven Parables of Jesus

By Raymond Biersbach

Biersbach has been inspired by the Catholic Psychotherapy Association (CPA) whose mission is to support mental health practitioners by promoting the development of psychological theory and mental health practice which encompasses a full understanding of the human person, family, and society in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
This book will also foster both the development of a community of CPA members and function as an opportunity for professional development both as therapists and as people of faith.
This book most specifically aims to respond to CPA's goal to "Encourage and support the presentation of scholarly work and writing that is relevant to the mission of CPA…"

At this early stage of CPA history, a preliminary grouping of resources linked to the normal course of development in the Christian life might appear useful for client seekers as well as therapists, clergy, and teachers. It is my hope that it will provide a small contribution to Catholic psychotherapy literature and a jumping off point for others to improve. This volume deals with the beginnings of faith because without faith further steps become impossible.

Biersbach came to refer to Catholic anthropology rather than Christian anthropology. Though Catholics share many elements of Christian anthropology with other Christian traditions, with the passage of time, the Catholic understanding of the human person has continued to diverge or at least become distinct from the understanding of our brothers and sisters in other religious, even Christian religious, traditions.

As you read you will see that my outline is from chapter 13 of Matthew's gospel. As Biersbach reads it, the more he liked it as an outline for my purpose of stitching together faith and psychotherapy. Matthew 13:1-52 talks about basic faith and the spiritual life of faith, or the lack thereof.

It is my starting point and maybe it can be yours too. I have had it in mind as an entry point for searchers of all types: the "nones" (White, 2014, 2017), the confused, the depressed, the anxious, the skeptical, the uninformed or wherever readers may be coming from. Chapter 13 offers useful elements of Christian faith in Jesus' own words that may provide motivation for the uninvolved, food for the starved, and relief for those stuck on their journey in faith or psychological healing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 1, 1900
• ISBN: 9781098305451

Book preview

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© 2020 by Raymond Biersbach

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed Attention: Permissions at [e-mail].

ISBN 978-1-09830-544-4 eBook 978-1-09830-545-1

Dedication:

The Catholic Psychotherapy Association

whose mission is to support mental health practitioners by promoting the development of psychological theory and mental health practice which encompasses a full understanding of the human person, family, and society in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

Thanks, and acknowledgements

My thanks to all the readers: Geraldine Biersbach, Martin Biersbach, Patrick Barry, Valerie Conzett, and Dan Doyle. By listening, giving feedback on many drafts, they made this book much better than it would have been without their corrections, suggestions, clarifications, and comments.

My special thanks to James Jasper and Scarlett Mai for their drawings

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1:

Jesus Invites Us to Listen, Reflect, and Learn

Chapter 2:

The Sowing of the Seed: God Offers Opportunities for Faith

Chapter 3:

Ears to Hear: It is Necessary to Listen Well

Chapter 4:

Jesus Explains Why listening Matters

Chapter 5:

Why use Parables?To Touch Those Who Refuse to Listen or See

Chapter 6:

The Seed That Fell on the Path: Trampled by a Busy World

Chapter 7:

The Seed that Fell on the Rocky Ground of Life’s Enduring Hurts

Chapter 8:

The Seed that Fell on Thorny Ground: Choked by Fears and Desires

Chapter 9:

The Seed that Fell on Good SoilWelcomes Jesus’ Words

Chapter 10:

Wheat Surrounded by Weeds are like Christians in the World

Chapter 11:

The Mustard Tree Offers Spiritual Safety in the World and the Yeast Personal Transformation within Community

Chapter 12:

The Weeds and Wheat Parable Explains Who is Active in the World

Chapter 13:

The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl: Finding True Value

Chapter 14:

The Net Thrown into the Sea: An Image of Accountability

Chapter 15:

Disciples Understand Jesus’ Words and Share Them with Others

Postscript and Recap

References

Index

Preface

Dear Reader,

This book aims to connect resources from the vast field of psychotherapy with resources from the equally vast fields of Christian theology and Christian anthropology. Christian anthropology asserts that humanity began with God, will end with God, and, in the time in between, we women and men are free to choose to walk with God…or not. Applied Christian anthropology works to develop that awareness by seeing psychotherapy as a resource for understanding human psychology, development, and needs.

I have been inspired by the Catholic Psychotherapy Association (CPA) whose mission is to support mental health practitioners by promoting the development of psychological theory and mental health practice which encompasses a full understanding of the human person, family, and society in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. This book will also foster both the development of a community of CPA members and function as an opportunity for professional development both as therapists and as people of faith.

This book most specifically aims to respond to CPA’s goal to Encourage and support the presentation of scholarly work and writing that is relevant to the mission of CPA…

At this early stage of CPA history, a preliminary grouping of resources linked to the normal course of development in the Christian life might appear useful for client seekers as well as therapists, clergy, and teachers. It is my hope that it will provide a small contribution to Catholic psychotherapy literature and a jumping off point for others to improve. This volume deals with the beginnings of faith because without faith further steps become impossible.

I came to refer to Catholic anthropology rather than Christian anthropology. Though Catholics share many elements of Christian anthropology with other Christian traditions, with the passage of time, the Catholic understanding of the human person has continued to diverge or at least become distinct from the understanding of our brothers and sisters in other religious, even Christian religious, traditions.

Pope Benedict XVI (2010, p. 50-56) advocates that truth is possible and that we need to have the courage to assert the truth as we understand it. For me, as a practicing Catholic deacon, that means that I do not aim to impose what I see as the truth on anyone by force. Rather, as Benedict puts it, The truth comes to rule, not through violence, but through its own power; this is the central theme of John’s Gospel, (p. 51). If I may paraphrase Benedict’s chapter here, he advocates that we have …criteria for verification and falsification… (p. 51) but accepting of others even if their values are not ours. Too often we do just the opposite: we are relativistic about our values and rejecting of the person with different values. The only place the other can begin is from where the person is. As a practicing psychotherapist our job is to acknowledge our values, accept that the other starts from another place, and to get to know and try to understand wherever the other’s starting point might be.

As you read you will see that my outline is from chapter 13 of Matthew’s gospel. As I read it, the more I liked it as an outline for my purpose of stitching together faith and psychotherapy. Matthew 13:1-52 talks about basic faith and the spiritual life of faith, or the lack thereof. It is my starting point and maybe it can be yours too. I have had it in mind as an entry point for searchers of all types: the nones (White, 2014, 2017), the confused, the depressed, the anxious, the skeptical, the uninformed or wherever readers may be coming from. Chapter 13 offers useful elements of Christian faith in Jesus’ own words that may provide motivation for the uninvolved, food for the starved, and relief for those stuck on their journey in faith or psychological healing.

To put it in context, chapters 11 and 12 of Matthew’s gospel describe a growing resistance to Jesus. That resistance resumes immediately at the end of chapter 13 with Jesus’ visit home (v. 54-58). His neighbors were momentarily overjoyed to see him and then resented him. From there on resistance to Jesus continues to grow until his death.

However, in chapter 13, verses 1-53, Jesus pauses to speak to his interested followers. If you are interested, you as well can find that He presented an outline of the meaning of his mysterious kingdom of God. He speaks in seven parables. Further, he explains three of those parables that introduces the beginning of the life of faith (the sower and the seed), as well as the middle (the wheat and weeds), and the end (the net thrown into the sea). He even introduces as participants invisible spiritual beings, both good angels (Catechism #327-390) and bad demon opponents (Catechism #391-395). Further, he speaks to the crowd of the safety they could find through faith in his words (the mustard seed), as well as the transformation that faith could cause in them (the leaven in the dough). In moments alone with his core group of disciples, he speaks of finding inner personal value (the pearl of great price) and finding external value in the world at large (the treasure in the field). He also offers this core group two leadership models. In the wide world they are to act like officials guarding a storehouse. Within their primary or family group they are to act like caring and responsible heads of households.

This chapter 13 outline is timely in view of current research that many raised in a religious tradition no longer practice (Pew, 2015, 2018) but might be interested in a way to look, to listen, and to hear more. Plus, the rise of the nones and generation Z (White, 2014, 2017) calls for outreach to those who feel alienated, scandalized, or who are limping along burdened by life’s hurts. For them, Jesus’ early outline of faith and his description of the Kingdom of God offer a place to either start or renew faith. Jesus’ parables as an outline of faith can provide a relief from being mired in the controversies of the day or even the distressing panoply of online news. For those tormented by controversies, the parable of the wheat and the weeds can help put into perspective the reality that controversies have always existed in and around church (Gabriel, 2010). Despite all that, in the parable of wheat and weeds the master expects us to continue laboring in the field.

I have aimed to have this book work as a jumping off point for:

Those raised in some religious tradition but now are not involved with any

Those who pray daily and/or believe in God somewhat or fully (Pew, 2018) but find it all too complicated

Therapists or people in ministry who are more trained in mental health than theology and faith

Clergy and people in ministry more trained in theology and faith practice than psychotherapy

Therapists beginning training who have a desire to integrate faith skills with their therapy skills

Clients unsure where to begin in psychotherapy or searching for resources.

All that Jesus asks from anyone is a willingness to listen and to let