By Fr. Justin Fulton
“I am very fond of dreams in families. For nine months every mother and father dreams about their baby. Am I right? They dream about what kind of child he or she will be....You can’t have a family without dreams.
“Once a family loses the ability to dream, children do not grow, love does not grow, life shrivels up and dies. So I ask you each evening, when you make your examination of conscience, to also ask yourselves this question: Today did I dream about my children’s future? Today did I dream about the love of my husband, my wife? Did I dream about my parents and grandparents who have gone before me? Dreaming is very important. Especially dreaming in families. Do not lose this ability to dream! How many difficulties in married life are resolved when we leave room for dreaming; when we stop for a moment to think of our spouse and dream about the goodness present in everything around us.
“So it is very important to reclaim love by what we do each day. Do not ever stop being newlyweds!”
- Pope Francis
I am so proud of all of our employees and volunteers at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. We wish to celebrate their lives as they are integral members of God’s plan for His Kingdom here on earth. The work they perform is indeed making a difference in the lives of countless neighbors in southern Nebraska.
Our work helps people and families re-establish their lives and begin dreaming again. Some of this work is done at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center. Did you know that our counseling center offers the only Catholic APA (American Psychological Association)-accredited pre-doctoral internship program in the nation? That is something to be proud of! Many of us spend lots of money on new books, flavor-of-the-day videos and workshops, programs, podcasts and the like. Yet we have a jewel of the Catholic Church with faith-based doctors, clinicians, interns, and post-docs right here in our backyard.
Our professionals at our counseling center help married couples fall deeper in love with each other. They help people who are depressed because of isolation, widowhood, and loneliness. They help families become more loving and stronger.
They help people who are addicted. They help people who suffer from comparison, perfectionism and anxiety, who suffer from substance abuse, people who lack belief in themselves and those who lack self-confidence. Our doctors and counselors are professionals who help people begin dreaming again and help others to live greatly.
Our counselors are available to anyone in the Diocese of Lincoln through our telehealth program and numerous satellite offices. They can be reached at 402.489.1834.
Let us all recall that mental healthcare is indeed healthcare. All of us suffer from the Fall of Adam and Eve. All of us need healing physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And let us remember there are Catholic, faith-based professionals ready and willing to help us step out of the darkness and into the Light of Jesus Christ.
May God bless us always!
