I guess this where it is good to speak of a tormented past, but that would not be the case. However, rumor has it that there are some suffering Catholics. This is not to say that they suffer because they are Catholic, but somehow they themselves are emotionally not so sure. This gives rise to even more guilt and self-judgment that perpetuates physical maladies.
It doesn't matter what the symptom is. Each individual has strengths and weaknesses. Our weakness can become strengths and strengths weakness depending on the circumstances. For example, a man may be very strong and use his muscularity to earn a decent living. At the same time his body may be so muscularly attuned that emotional imbalances easily get stored in the muscular level causing tightness.
A similar type of yin-yang contextuality exists with personal religious beliefs. Therefore, the phenomenon of internal religious conflict is normal in any living breathing human being not just Catholics. The symbols, icons, and language that give form and meaning to Catholicism are closely associated with Mary. This means that the strength of Mary can also be the source of feelings of guilt and self-judgment, feelings that may be held in the body in the form of diabetes or high blood pressure or through behaviors of vengeful eating or smoking. It doesn't really matter.
Resolving the conflict first requires getting real with its existence. Catharsis flows from first accepting the conflicted emotions at the moment. This where Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street comes in. It's a cathartic vehicle, providing the palpable backdrop for the feelings of Catholic contradiction.
Here are the lyrics to the song, which might otherwise be obscured through music and images:
looking down on empty streets, all she can see
are the dreams all made solid
are the dreams all made real
all of the buildings, all of those cars
were once just a dream
in somebody's head
she pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam
she pictures a soul
with no leak at the seam
let's take the boat out
wait until darkness
let's take the boat out
wait until darkness comes
nowhere in the corridors of pale green and grey
nowhere in the suburbs
in the cold light of day
there in the midst of it so alive and alone
words support like bone
dreaming of mercy street
wear your inside out
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms again
dreaming of mercy street
'swear they moved that sign
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms
pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth
tugging at the darkness, word upon word
confessing all the secret things in the warm velvet box
to the priest-he's the doctor
he can handle the shocks
dreaming of the tenderness-the tremble in the hips
of kissing Mary's lips
dreaming of mercy street
wear your insides out
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms again
dreaming of mercy street
'swear they moved that sign
looking for mercy
in your daddy's arms
mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
Anne, with her father is out in the boat
riding the water
riding the waves on the sea
The song comes from the album So, thus named, it is reported, as an obnoxious retort to demand that the album title possess a bit more than character than the previously three: Peter Gabriel. Those gems are distinguished by album cover.
Here's the video, which I suggest tapping to.
The Mary image of mercy reminds me of the bodhisattva Guan Yin (Kuan Yin wade-giles), whose name literally means "care sound" and is usually translated as Godess of Mercy. You'll see that the wikki page has her associated with the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. A bodhisattva (pu sa in Mandarin) is like a saint. They help people in matters of health and fortune.
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