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A parts-informed reflection on James 1:1-8, "Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways."
Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Presenter: Peta Evans, a wife and mother and founder of and counselor at Esencia Life Centre, a pregnancy resource center in Albury, Australia
Do all parts of you have perfect faith? …Likely not. This article provides a helpful reflection on accepting God’s Providence.
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
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it."
Welcome back to Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts. Today is February 16th, 2026, Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time. Today we are joined by Peta Evans, a wife and mother and the founder of Esencia Life Center, a pregnancy resource center in Albury, Australia.
The first reading James 1, verses 1 to 8. "Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways." As you reflect on this passage, you may consider the times that you have faced trials and experienced doubts. You may fear that you are the one who has doubted, has not persevered, and therefore are not welcome. On the contrary, this reading is for you, how you, with your weakness and your fears, are called to live out faith with wisdom and steadfastness. You may remember times in your life when doubts have threatened to overtake you, when the swelling seas of suffering or indecision have tossed you about as the wind. Questions may have surfaced such as, is God really faithful? Is he trustworthy? Am I worthy of continuing the journey with him? Bring to mind the Apostle Thomas after the resurrection, who was not with the 12 when Jesus appeared. When the other apostles told him of this, he said, "Unless I put my finger into the nail marks of Jesus's hands and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
What do you need to see, to touch, to taste, to smell, to feel in order to believe that Jesus Christ is truly risen, alive and is who he says he is? Your innermost self can help lead you to this meeting through getting to know the humanity and the divinity of Jesus in the scriptures and the sacraments, especially through Confession and Holy Mass, where he is present in Holy Communion. You may doubt because of the distorted images you hold of God. Does this contribute to you wavering as a double-minded man? The Didache Bible describes this as one whose conviction wavers between trust in God and doubt. Can you ask God to provide the evidence, as Thomas the Apostle, required to really experience the presence of Christ and get to know his character and to hear what he wants to say to you in response to your fears, wounds, and past heartaches in relationship with Christ? You can wrestle through your doubts, and it is in this struggle that you persevere. God knew that Thomas and you needed experiences such as these close personal encounters with him in order to be transformed. So ask for what you need, so that, like Thomas, you too may one day say with conviction, "My Lord and my God."
In the description of today's episode, you'll find an excellent article about having faith in God's providence. Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you again tomorrow.
Let us end with our invocations. Our Lady, our Mother, Untier of Knots, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.