34 Radical Receptivity -- September 21, 2020

Episode 34        Radical Receptivity       September 21, 2020.

Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis: Carpe Diem!, where by God’s grace, you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth in this time of crisis, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges of this pandemic and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms than we were before.  I’m clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski your host and guide, with Souls and Hearts at soulsandhearts.com.  Thank you for being here with me.  This is episode 34, released on September 21, 2020 and it is titled:. Radical Receptivity.  Radical spiritual receptivity.  We’ve been building up to this topic over the last few weeks, so before we get into radical receptivity, let’s just cast a glance back where we’ve been over the last few episodes:

In the last episode, episode 33, we explored openness in the natural realm

·         Because Grace perfects nature, we often start with the natural realm

·         looked at how psychologists define openness 

o   Openness as one of the big five personality traits

§  Along with neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness

o   open individuals are curious about both the inner and outer worlds, they have experientially rich lives compared to closed individuals.  

o   Lack of conventionality, willingness to question authority, prepared to consider new ethical, social, and political ideas.

·         we looked at the six domains within openness:  

o   fantasy, aesthetics, feelings, actions, ideas, and values (repeat)

Today, we’re going to look at openness in the spiritual life, in the spiritual realm.  

Receptivity:

·         I often use the word receptivity to capture a sense of openness in relationship with God and Our Lady, our spiritual parents.  And not just openness – but more than openness.  

o   having the quality of receiving, taking in, or admitting.

o   able or quick to receive knowledge, ideas, etc.: a receptive mind.  Mindset

o   willing or inclined to receive suggestions, offers, etc., with favor: a receptive listener.  Mindset:

o   What about taking in relationship, connection – relational receptivity.  

o   Radical openness.  Toddler, infant – taking in almost everything he has.  

So in this episode, we’re going into radical openness in the spiritual life, what I am calling radical receptivity to emphasize how we need to take in to receive from God and our Mother Mary.  

Remember, the primary developmental task of the infant and toddler is to learn to trust.  We discussed this in episodes 30 and 31.  Our primary task is to learn to trust.  And remember that we’ve identified that the one essential thing for a Catholic to be resilient is that childlike trust, that absolute confidence in God. 

Psalm 22: Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
     you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
 10 On you I was cast from my birth,
     and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
 11 Do not be far from me,
     for trouble is near
     and there is no one to help.

You kept me safe on my mother’s breast.  

 If we have that childlike trust, that absolute confidence in God, nothing stops us from being resilient.  We can fall down, and we can get up, because we have a deep awareness, in our bones, that we are deeply loved, cherished, that God and Mary delight in us.  But this childlike trust, this absolute confidence is the primary area where we fail.  

Listen to the way that St. Peter refers to us as Christians, as Catholics:

1 Peter 2: 2-3 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Listen to St. Paul:  But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.  1 Thessalonians 2:7

But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, for you are still of all the flesh. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

The Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and God’s tender care, like a mother.  

Isaiah 49  “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
     that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
 Even these may forget,
     yet I will not forget you.

Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,

    all you who love her;

    rejoice with her in joy,

    all you who mourn over her;

    that you may suck and be satisfied

    with her consoling breasts;

    that you may drink deeply with delight

    from the abundance of her glory. (Isaiah 66:10-11)

As a clinician, I see this so much psychological baggage around trust, so many psychological impediments around this absolute confidence in God, and these stemmed from negative experiences we’ve had.  It doesn’t have to be abuse or neglect, can also be just the common attachment injuries that we sustain, believe us to be guarded, careful, and cautious.  We bring these into our relationship with God our father, and with Mary our mother.  And it’s not just in my clients, this is ubiquitous it’s everywhere it is in all of us.  

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather together the lambs with his arm, and shall take them up in his bosom, and he himself shall carry them that are with young.

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

The only reason we don’t experience this is because we don’t let God in. Because we’re afraid, guarded, self-protective, and we don’t know.  

Review of how Mary is our primary Mother.  

Fr. Emil Neubert, my ideal: Jesus son of Mary, part one, chapter 4:

Mary is even more truly your mother then your earthly mother.…  She loves you – you, all imperfect and ungrateful as you are; she loves you with a love that surpasses in intensity and in purity the motherly love of all the mothers in the world.  Above all, she is more truly your mother because of the nature of the life which she has given you.

RCCD member Jonathan is putting together a book club in the RCCD community.  

O1 Openness to Fantasy: vivid imagination, active fantasy life, daydreaming as not only an escape, but a way of creating an interesting inner world for themselv...