John Lewis | Wrestling with God Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:27 — 19.6MB)

Father Len explores how grit helps us get through difficult times and succeed in life.

Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

Father Len explains why he is grateful for the COVID 19 pandemic.
Father Len explains how the pandemic helps reveal the existence of God and why God allows suffering in the world.
Father Len introduces the spiritual virtue of grit and illustrates how and why it helps us mature as human beings and succeed in life.
Father Len explains the dangers of living life as a “perfect fragile.”
Father Len explodes the myth of “talent” as the primary predictor of success in life.
Grit in the religious world is fortitude. It’s one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Grit is learned and earned through sacrifice, pain, and a little bit of suffering.
“Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth
Life is sacrifice.
Father Len offers concrete ways to increase grit and determination.
Father Len shares the moving story of Adm. James Stockdale and how grit helped him and his fellow prisoners survive years in a Vietnam War concentration camp.
“The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero” by Timothy Egan
“Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined” by Scott Barry Kaufman

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:53 — 18.2MB)

Father Len explains why freedom is a virtue and what it takes to achieve real freedom.

Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

Real freedom is achieved when we become free to live a life of love and community, free from selfishness, ego, anger, hatred, and revenge.
Father Len tells the story of how Congressman John Lewis’s faith gave him the freedom to love his enemies.
Father Len illustrates the opposite of freedom with the story of a very wealthy and brilliant Englishman. He had all the money and time to do whatever he wanted to do in this world, but became imprisoned by his ego, selfishness, anger, and insecurity.
We all wear some sort of psychological mask at times to make us appear to be shiny and happy people able to do whatever we want.
Religion can free us from our psychological masks.
Father Len shares the story of a millionaire Hollywood producer who traded his huge mansion, fancy cars, and extremely unhappy life for a tiny house, a bike to ride to work, and a happy life.
The constant need to get whatever we want in this world is a type of slavery or idolatry.
An Idol is something that promises fulfillment, but leaves us empty.
Religion doesn’t satisfy all our wants. It frees us from them.
Real freedom requires sacrifice.
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Chocolat – The movie
WALL-E – The movie

Wrestling with God Show