Tag Archives: Depression

Ep104 Hope

September 7, 2024UncategorizedAbraham, Anger, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Book of Revelation, Depression, Faith, Fear, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, God, Gospel of Prosperity, Heaven, Hope, Hopelessness, Israel, Jamil Jivani, Kardashians, Love, Materialism, Narcissism, Old Testament, Optimism, Paula D’Arcy, Pinball Machine, Plastic Surgery, Pope St. John Paul II, Second Corinthians, Suffering, Suicide, The Bible, United States, Victim Mentality, Viktor Frankl, World Youth Daywrestlingwithgodshow

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:52 — 47.5MB)

Father Len helps us grapple with tough times in our lives and understand the virtue of hope. What is it? Where does it come from? Why it’s essential for peace and joy in our lives.

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Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

Paula D’Arcy Theologian of Hope
“Gift of the Red Bird: The Story of a Divine Encounter” by Paula D’Arcy
Faith, hope and love are different aspects of one spiritual reality.
Hope is illogical. It’s not a matter of sitting down and rationalizing with people why they should have hope. If you have some rational reason for hope, that’s not hope. That’s logic.
Fear is logical. Depressed people are not irrational. They’re just excessively logical and obsessed with their current state of life.
“Notes from the Underground: The Original Unabridged and Complete Edition” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Wealth, comfort and safety don’t bring hope.
Poverty and abuse don’t take away hope.
Hope is a theological virtue. It comes from God alone, not the circumstances of your life.
Hope obliterates the idea that life should be easy.
Hope is uncertain, it believes in possibilities.
Hope takes work to participate in. It comes from this relationship with divine love and life.
The Book of Revelation reveals the struggles we have on earth and tells us how the story ends with a huge victory party in heaven.
“Optimism and pessimism are twins. Both are blind to possibilities and lock you in to your current state of life. Optimism believes you will always be happy and beautiful, with a full head of hair. Pessimism believes life will always be crap.” – Father Len
Hope is not optimism.
We live better in the United States than any human beings in history. We live in such incredible comfort. Yet, our young people have the highest rate of suicide and the highest use of prescription pharmaceutical drugs to deal with depression. If circumstances give hope, our children should be thriving.
“We live in a culture of hopelessness because we keep telling people, you need the right circumstances to be happy. Unless you’re a Kardashian, with tons of money and social media likes, unless the world treats you a certain way, you’re a victim.” – Father Len
Hopelessness suffocates hope.
“Why Young Men: Rage, Race and the Crisis of Identity” – Jamil Jivani
It’s a myth to tell people if they have the right circumstances, they’ll be happy, they’ll be hopeful.
A sense of meaning to your life is oxygen for hope.
You have to suffocate the things that kill hope. Suffocate anger. Suffocate victim mentality. Suffocate the propaganda that circumstances give you happiness.
Characteristics of people who have hope.
- They can endure higher levels of pain.
- They enjoy competition, win or lose.
- They believe life is good, no matter their circumstances.
- They can survive in humble circumstances.
- They turn out happier.

We welcome your questions and comments:

Email: irish@wwgproductions.org
Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738

Links to More Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions

Life Lessons from Jesus and the Church He Founded: http://LifeLessonsfromJesus.org
A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Ep103 Parenting Challenges and Choices

July 5, 2024UncategorizedAbigail Shrier, Anxiety, Bad Therapy, Depression, Gabor Mate, Grit, Iatrogenic Effect, Insecurity, Jesus, Kate DiCamillo, Prayer, Psychological Disorders, Religion, Resiliency, Rob Henderson, Rumination, SEL, Self-Esteem, spirituality, Suicide, Traumawrestlingwithgodshow

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:07 — 31.2MB)

Father Len grapples with the alarming rate of depression and suicide among kids these days and the challenges and choices facing parents.

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Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier

We welcome your questions and comments:

Email: irish@wwgproductions.org
Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738

Links to More Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions

Life Lessons from Jesus and the Church He Founded: http://LifeLessonsfromJesus.org
A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Ep97 We need a Savior

January 8, 2024UncategorizedAlbert Einstein, Aristotle, Atheists, Blaise Pascal, Catholic Church, Chris Hayes, Christ, Christianity, Christopher Dawkins, Depression, Ego, God, God of the Gaps, Herod, Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, MSNBC, Narcissism, Nicholas Copernicus, Pharisees, Prayer, Religion, Roger Bacon, Savior, Science, Suicidewrestlingwithgodshow

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:22 — 32.4MB)

Father Len explains why we need a Savior now more than ever and why many of us don’t know it.

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Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

“Now that we have science, we no longer need religion.” – Chris Hayes, MSNBC Host
“God of the Gaps” theory: People invented God and religion began because there was a lack of scientific knowledge to explain things like lightning and wind.
Science wouldn’t exist without the Catholic Church.
For the Catholic Church science has always been a way of studying and understanding God.
All early major scientists believed in God including Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Roger Bacon, Louis Pasteur, Nicholas Copernicus and Blaise Pascal. They came to God because of science. Many were Catholic priests.
Religion began out of gratitude and awe for God.
Those who believe there is no greater power in the universe than the human person must ignore humanity’s long history of ignorance, violence and shocking denials of the truth.
Those who believe science can answer every question won’t be able to find God or recognize the need for a Savior because they have too much ego.
Our country has a depression and suicide crisis.
Our society has become narcissistic. Narcissism steals our joy. Narcissists believe they have no need for a Savior.
Much of our country no longer trusts in God. It trusts in science, technology, and government programs.
If God doesn’t exist and life on earth is all there is, why not cheat, be cruel, or commit suicide?
There is a difference between joy and pleasure. Meth addicts have plenty of pleasure, but no joy.
Even with all the knowledge of science and the power of technology, we do not have the power to overcome death.
“Our country has the highest standard of living in human history and the greatest technological inventions. So, why do we have such high suicide and depression rates? That just proves humanity needs a Savior.” – Father Len

We welcome your questions and comments:

Email: irish@wwgproductions.org
Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738

Links to More Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions

Life Lessons from Jesus and the Church He Founded: http://LifeLessonsfromJesus.org
A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Ep88 Sadness is a Blessing and Superpower

October 24, 2022UncategorizedAleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Amplification, Bitterness, Catholicism, Christ, CS Lewis, Depression, Franz Kafka, Heaven, Homesickness, Judaism, Leonard Cohen, Longing, Love, Malcolm Gladwell, Repression, Robert Schuller, Sadness, St. Maria of Paris, Suffering, The Biblewrestlingwithgodshow

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:31 — 36.2MB)

Father Len explains that sadness is our lot in life and how embracing it will bring us wisdom, love, a sense of purpose, and help guide our path to heaven.

Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

The pain of sadness wakes you up to be more tender and compassionate.
Sadness is a superpower that can transform you into being more creative.
Depression sucks all the life out of you.
Denying sadness can lead to self-absorption and a toxic life.
Father Len shares the story of how the sadness of prison life became a university for growth for Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Depression makes you listless and less concerned for action and the suffering of other people.
Depression is when you’re alone. Sadness is when you’re with other people.
Those who embrace sadness have a greater sense of purpose in their lives.
American society is obsessed with positivity and always being happy, happy, happy.
Studies have found Americans smile more than any other country, but test out to be more depressed.
Obsession with positive thinking is just a form of denial of sadness.
The more you repress something, the more likely you are to act on it.
America’s obsession with positivity and always having a positive attitude is a form of repression.
Sadness is hard, but it also gives birth to love.
Links to Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions
- Wrestling with God Show: http://WWGShow.com
- Life Lessons from Jesus and the Church He Founded: http://LifeLessonsfromJesus.org
- A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/
Make a financial donation here: https://www.GiveSendGo.com/WWGProductions
We welcome your questions and comments:
- Email: irish@wwgproductions.org
- Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738