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A parts-informed reflection on Matthew 8:1-3, "When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, 'Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.' He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, 'I will do it. Be made clean.' His leprosy was cleansed immediately."
The Memorial of St. Josemaría Escrivá
Presenter: Bridget Adams, member care coordinator for the Resilient Catholics Community, lead writer and trainer on the PartsFinder Pro team, and a retreat leader with Souls & Hearts
To learn more about the Internal Family Systems concept of “unburdening,” check out our sister podcast, “Interior Integration for Catholics,” episode 115.
Questions or comments? Email scripturepodcast@soulsandhearts.com
Share your thoughts via this episode's YouTube comments at youtube.com/@ScriptureForYourInnerOutcasts
Creators and Guests
What is Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts?
In the Gospels, Jesus reaches out to the outcasts, the most marginalized and rejected members of His society. In this very brief podcast, we take His approach inside – to reach out to your inner outcasts, the parts of you who are walking in darkness and gloom. Listen in and invite the Good News in the daily Mass readings to shine on your inner lost sheep, your inner prodigals, your inner lepers, your lame, deaf, and blind parts, your inner tax collectors, and your inner prostitutes – all those parts of you deemed unworthy and unacceptable by your protector parts.
Why? So that you can integrate inside, heal, and grow to flourish in accepting being loved, loving yourself in an ordered way, and then being able to love God wholeheartedly, with all your parts, and your neighbor as yourself. All informed by Internal Family Systems and other parts work approaches, and all firmly grounded in a Catholic understanding of the human person. Join us in seeing Scripture through a new lens, coming alive for those parts of you that may have experienced spiritual neglect and need healing.
This podcast is produced by Souls & Hearts, an organization dedicated to human formation from a Catholic lens. Learn more at soulsandhearts.com.
Transcript
Bridget: "When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage and said, 'Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.' He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, 'I will do it. Be made clean.' His leprosy was cleansed immediately."
Elizabeth: Welcome back to Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts. It's Friday, June 26th, 2026, the Memorial of St. Josemaría Escrivá. Today we are joined by Bridget Adams, the member care coordinator for the Resilient Catholics Community, a lead writer and trainer on the PartsFinder Pro team, and a retreat leader for Souls and Hearts.
Bridget: "When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, 'Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.' He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, 'I will do it. Be made clean.' His leprosy was cleansed immediately." Hello to everyone joining our SFYIO today. It's a joy to be in this together with all of our hearts and our innermost selves. As we reflect on today's Gospel from Matthew 8:1-3, if it's okay to make a parallel, when Jesus came down from the mountain could be like when you are coming out of adoration or out of some extended time in recollection, in peace and calm. And the great crowds following you after your mountaintop experience could be your parts inside, seeking your attention, trying to tell you things or influence you one way or another, and blending and kind of taking over the driver's seat. This dynamic can bring a shift inside from a place of recollection to a place of inner turmoil. But I think there's something to learn from the leper who approached Jesus in the midst of all that crowd and chaos. The leper did him homage and simply said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." We get a sense that the leper was calm, dignified, even as a dreaded outcast, and seemed emotionally stable and confident when he made the request.
Bridget: Maybe you exiled parts can take a cue or learn a new strategy from this leper who, like you, was exiled and banished from his community. Despite his status, he simply approached Jesus and made a statement of fact. "If you wish, you can make me clean." What might happen if, instead of flooding your system with your overwhelming emotions and sensations, you could try simply asking your innermost self for the gift of attention. Or what if you exiled parts extended confidence to your innermost self, saying that if he or she wished, you could be unburdened and offer your unique gifts and talents to your system? This might be a new concept for your innermost self, but it's true. Just imagine how freeing it might be if your innermost self could hear you extending confidence in this way. Maybe your innermost self would respond as our Lord responded, saying, "I will do it," and reached out to touch you, seeking to help you become less burdened and more integrated into your system. Maybe the simple strategy of the calm, confident, courageous leper could be a game changer for your inner system. May it be so, in God's time and according to his will.
Elizabeth: To learn more about the Internal Family Systems concept of unburdening, check out our sister podcast, Interior Integration for Catholics, episode 115.
Bridget: Our Lady, our Mother, Untier of Knots, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.