From Rumination to Renewal: Healing Ourselves by Serving Others - Fr. Pat McGrath 10.26.25

In college, I remember a friend giving me a piece of advice I’ve never forgotten. She said, “If you’re feeling down, do one of three things: work out, pray for someone else, or do something kind for another person.” In other words—stop turning in on yourself, and start turning outward toward life. Because when we turn in on ourselves for too long, it’s easy to get trapped inside our own heads. Psychologists call it rumination—that endless loop of replaying what went wrong or what we wish we’d said. We think we’re solving a problem, but really, we’re just deepening the groove of our pain. The more we focus inward, the more we can begin to feel stuck, self-critical, even hopeless. And slowly, we stop engaging—with others, with joy, with the world around us. But the way out of that spiral is action. Small, outward steps that reconnect us—with people, with purpose, and with God. Pope Francis once said that the Church faces a similar temptation—to become what he called “self-referential.” When we talk only to ourselves, focus on our own needs, and forget the world beyond our walls, we lose our mission. A healthy Church, like a healthy soul, must move outward—toward the wounded, the searching, the forgotten. So today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to reflect on this truth: that healing comes through connection. When we step beyond ourselves—to serve, to love, to listen—we not only renew our own spirits, but also renew the Church and the world God so deeply loves.