How Our History with Authority Affects Our Relationship with God - 6th Sun of Ord Time - Episode 12 - a podcast by Souls and Hearts

Overall Takeaways

Dr. Gerry: Choose God’s love over human judgment.
Dr. Peter: How does my history with authority figures impact how I see God and the Church?

Key Verses from Sunday Mass Readings

“If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you;

if you trust in God, you too shall live …

No one does he command to act unjustly,

to none does he give license to sin.”

We speak a wisdom to those who are mature,

not a wisdom of this age,

nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.

Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden.”

Where Catholicism Meets Psychology

* Children learn about rules with a carrot-and-stick approach. They do good to receive rewards and to avoid punishment. God calls us to obey with a mature heart. We are called to obey from an act of love.

* Human reason and rationalization will not get us there. It makes no human sense to love our enemies. Instead, we need God to teach us His wisdom to transcend human reason to love as He loves.

* Our culture teaches us to take care of ourselves, which can often snowball into anxiety. It goes against human nature to trust Him completely. Ask God to help us be humble, childlike and trusting to receive His love.

* Our experience with our human parents or others in authority affects whether we believe God is a good parent. If someone was abused by a church official, it’s difficult to separate the evil human act from the love of Christ.

* We often would rather to be happy than holy. Jesus was not always happy. He was angry with the moneychangers in the temple, sad at the death of Lazarus, and anxious in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, he was always at peace.

Action Items:

Dr. Peter: Write down issues you have with authority. By writing them down, you may better be able to understand why you have trouble in your relationship with God.

Dr. Gerry: Notice when you have a human judgment and what is your immediate reaction. Pause and just notice it. You can stop there, or you can further reflect on it. Try to move from human judgment to a spirit of love, stillness and recollection.

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