We are imperfect, yet fully made in God’s image. And God desires us to be well, to love ourselves enough to be well. Francis of Assisi knew this. As a veteran and prisoner of war who likely suffered from PTSD, Francis understood that he was broken and worthy of repair. He was medieval to his core, yet his problems were not dissimilar to what we face today. But once he stripped himself of all things worldly, Francis understood that no wound was beyond God’s ability to heal.
In a letter Francis wrote to a friar, his salutation should be on the lips of everyone who loves those suffering in mind or spirit: “May God smile on you and be merciful to you. May God turn his regard toward you and give you peace.”
—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness“
by Christopher Heffron
