Episode 164 - Finding Peace Beyond Understanding: Trusting God's Love Amidst Church Challenges
Feb 6, 2024
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Exploring the discontent in the Church, historical roots of the lack of formation on human sexuality, emotional divide among priests and bishops, reintegrating faith and trust, seeking peace in God's love, and challenges and cover-ups in the Church hierarchy.
The discontent in the American Catholic Church is fueled by scandals, abuse, and a lack of trust in authority figures, hindering vulnerability and openness in relationships.
The emotional divide between priests and bishops, caused by the Dallas Charter and a lack of substantial human formation on sexuality, creates mistrust within the Church hierarchy.
Deep dives
The Discontent in the Church and its Impact
There is a growing awareness of discontent in the church hierarchy, particularly in the American Catholic Church. The discontent is fueled by scandals, abuse, and a lack of trust in authority figures. This has led to a sense of suspicion, hesitancy, and fear among the congregation, hindering vulnerability and openness in relationships.
The Historical Background and Effects
The podcast highlights the historical factors that contributed to the current state of the church. It mentions the Dallas Charter introduced in 2002 as a response to priest abuse scandals, but notes that it created a psychological divide between priests and bishops. The lack of substantial human formation and understanding of sexuality within the church is also addressed, as well as the confusion surrounding issues like birth control and misinterpretations of Vatican II.
The Trauma Reactions and Power Dynamics
The podcast explores how trauma reactions and power dynamics have impacted the church. The trauma reactions stemming from past mistakes and scandals often intensify reactions to current issues, such as the controversy surrounding the document Fiduciis et Patientiae. Additionally, the power dynamics within the hierarchy have caused emotional divides between priests, bishops, and the congregations. The lack of transparency and accountability further exacerbates these dynamics.
Invitation to Reintegrate Faith and Trust
The podcast extends an invitation for individuals to deepen their trust in God, even amidst the challenges faced by the Church. It emphasizes the need to focus on the love of God the Father and experience His peace that surpasses all understanding. The therapy-like invitation encourages individuals to strip away distractions, have abandonment to divine providence, and explore the theology of the body to deepen their understanding of their faith.
Welcome to Episode 164 of the Being Human Podcast: Finding Peace Beyond Understanding: Trusting God's Love Amidst Church Challenges
There is a growing discontent in the Church at present, and there is a need to recalibrate and renew our relationship with God. In this episode, Dr. Greg explores the historical roots of why our Church seems to lack solid formation on human sexuality and how this impacts our society today. He also talks about the emotional divide among priests and bishops in the church hierarchy. He emphasizes how we are all called to reintegrate our faith and trust, and to go deeper in our relationship with God so we can keep ourselves grounded in the Father's love during these times of confusion and division.
Discussed in the Episode:
The growing awareness of discontent within the Church, specifically in the United States, and how this is causing mistrust and confusion among Catholics
An exploration on the roots of this discontent – drawing back from past historical scandals, abuse, and a lack of substantial human sexuality formation in the Church
Understanding the emotional divide between priests and bishops and how distrust permeates different levels within the Church hierarchy through the parallel process
How acknowledging human imperfection and owning one’s mistakes along with an openness to growth, renewal and reintegration can lead to peace and healing
The importance of seeking peace in the love of God the Father and of deepening one’s faith and trust in presence of the Holy Spirit, especially in these times of confusion and uncertainty
An invitation to practice Catholic mindfulness and to participate in the Lenten Program of CatholicPsych, as a way to renew and recalibrate our relationship with God
Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more!
Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
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