Transcript

Speaker 1: Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

Speaker 2: Welcome to Scripture for your inner outcasts. It's May 16th, 2026, Saturday of the sixth week of Easter. Today's guest presenter is Doctor John Bukowski, an ob gyn based in Northern Virginia and the author of the book, Two Patients with Ignatius Press.

Speaker 1: Reflexively, my reflection today comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 16, verses 23 and 24. Amen, Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. These words were initially met with my confident yet limited Catholic standard bearer. I felt that joy. I've been completely joyful. But the words from the gospel returned again and memories followed. Whatever you ask, ABBA, in Jesus name, he will give you. You gotta be kidding me. Until now, you've not asked. I've asked a thousand times. Complete. Not quite. Why the anger? Why the grieving? Why this disbelief, shame and cynicism within me? Triggering is an understatement for me, as I'm guessing it is for you. Polarizing parts within us are supposed to be the path to enter. The paradox of knowing I'm a unity and a multiplicity. This internal battle within our hearts are the trailhead to follow for birthing our inner outcasts. And why? Of course. Why the word birthing? Well, first, because I am a doctor that delivered babies. And really, context matters. All parts matter. Feelings matter. And because the verses I chose immediately follow verses 20 and 22 of the same chapter a many men, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour is arrived. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

Speaker 1: Your grief, your tears, and your mourning are needed. Parts signposts for the labor towards a rebirth. As you continue this pilgrimage towards the compostella of interior integration, calmly connecting with your inner outcast to let them know they are seen, heard, and understood by your innermost self. And secondly, because Mother's Day recently passed and Father's Day is around the corner, and those holidays can return to you, to those formative moments of memories and the unconscious from conception to the first few years of life. When and where your parts took shape, developing their good intentions of trying to protect you by making sense of and navigating the signs and symptoms of desiring and developing your attachment and integrity needs and the identity concepts of your God, your neighbor, and yourself. This is the fertile birthing ground. This is where your parts began to be formed in secret. Sit with me with this paradox of the birthing image that is having that big open heart for your hidden or not so hidden grief, anxiety, or other wounds. Listen to their story. Maybe your Catholic standard bearer like mine has introduced you to that mom or dad pelican image with that big soft, open chest and bleeding heart feeding those baby pelicans bloody heart tissue for sustenance and birth into new life. Pentecost is around the corner, closer than Father's Day. Maybe this year a pelican will be seen rather than a dove. Your hour has arrived for doing the hard, courageous, clear, creative and confident work of interior integration. So your joy will become complete and no one will be able to take your joy away from you and all of your parts.

Speaker 2: All members of the Resilient Catholics community are invited to attend our annual retreat, which will take place August 6th through ninth, 2026 in Bloomington, Indiana. Registration is now open and you can find out more information in the description of today's show.

Speaker 1: Our lady, our mother, Untier of knots. Pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist pray for us.