Show Notes
Overall Takeaways
Dr. Gerry: Take risks, and do not live in fear.
Dr. Peter: We don’t know the thoughts of our hearts.
Key Verses from Sunday Readings
“For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.”
“Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.”
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
--and you yourself a sword will pierce--
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Where Catholicism Meets Psychology
* The heart is the seat of our emotions. We have so many things hidden in our hearts, in our unconscious, that would be helpful to us if they were revealed to us. Mary can help reveal those things to us.
* God gives us Our Lady, the perfect mother, who loves us. She can help us not only spiritually but in emotional and psychological ways, and in ways that our earthly mothers could not.
* Jesus becomes like us to save us. He’s in the trenches with us. He shares our blood and flesh to relate with us. He suffered and was tested so He can help us when we suffer and are tested.
* Death has power to destroy us, but Christ came to destroy death. Often, we don’t really believe and so we live in fear of death and stay enslaved.
* We may understand that Christ conquered death in our minds, but it may not reside in our heart. We need to take a risk, understand possible suffering will follow, and trust He will refine us through the process.
* Dr. Gerry and Dr. Peter share how Souls and Hearts has done this for them personally.
Action Items
Dr. Peter: Ask Mary in prayer, “What do I need to know about my own heart right now?” Keep your eyes and ears open for the answer. It may come in prayer, in a comment from someone else, or in your scripture reading.
Dr. Gerry: Pick one risk you know you need to take, accept there may be discomfort or suffering, and trust God enough to take that risk. It can be small: talking to a new person, applying for a new job, or sharing something you believe in a conversation. Make trust in God greater than your fear.