Rachel Wilson: Making music from suffering in faith

Speaking with Joanna Kearney in the latest episode of the Catholic Kiwi Podcast, Mrs Wilson described suffering from insomnia for 12 years, before finally being prescribed appropriate medication. Another issue has been an ongoing hernia.

The mother of four young boys, she spoke of her desperation at times. A spiritual turning was reading Uniformity with God’s will by St Alphonsus Liguori. The saint says that if a person needs to amend his or her ways then do so, and know that God doesn’t cause the suffering but permits it. Thirdly, the saint wrote about acceptance and surrender, Mrs Wilson said.

“One of the hardest things to figure out is how to be peaceful in that suffering, and that was such a lifesaver for me,” she said.

At one point, when at a low place, she had a deep sense of God’s presence, with God communicating interiorly “your goal is to be well. My goal is to live with you for eternity and why would I not ask . . . anything it takes to keep you close to me”.

God’s goal and God’s will for her good is far bigger than her ideas, she said. God didn’t explain suffering to her, but encouraged her to find meaning in it.

Mrs Wilson said, “I’ve been through some big ordeals over the last 15 years, and those ordeals have made me dig deeper into faith, search [for] God and from that have come songs”.

One of the most beautiful moments was when her band, The Sations, heard from a parent whose daughter had been contemplating ending her life for a long time. She listened to one of The Sations’ songs in a car, broke down in tears and decided life was worth living.

“It is really those moments that make you think – this is worth it,” Mrs Wilson said.

In the wide-ranging interview, Mrs Wilson, who is married to broadcaster Tim Wilson, spoke about being raised as one of 10 children in a faith-filled Catholic household in Nelson. She said she had been blessed to be with models of living faith from an early age.

Among topics discussed in the podcast were Christian feminism and its similarities and differences with secular versions, the challenges of being open to life in marriage and the value or lack thereof that society puts on motherhood.

Other topics touched on included having a child-like faith, homeschooling versus sending children to school, as well as the pain in seeing suffering in others that one cannot control.

FULL STORY

Catholic Kiwi Podcast: Season 2, Episode 7 – Rachel Wilson (Catholic Kiwi Podcast/YouTube)