Politics | Wrestling with God Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:37 — )

Father Len offers perspective and advice to those who feel anger and fear after the recent national election or following any loss or disappointment in life.

Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

Father Len’s concerns about the effects of what he refers to as “post traumatic election syndrome” inspired this episode.
Father Len shares a personal experience from a trip to Colombia to put election induced anger, fear, and anxiety in perspective.
Father Len explains why joy, determination and patience, not anger, are the remedy for injustice.
Jesus implores us to responsibly control the emotions in our hearts, without excuse.
Anger clouds our hearts and minds.
When you’re angry is not the time to figure out how to respond to what’s causing your anger.
“When you’re angry or in a bad mood at work, just go home because you’re just gonna make everyone you work with miserable.” – Sage advice from Father Len’s former bookkeeper
History is not logical. One of the best things that ever happened to Christianity was the fall of Rome. It actually helped Christianity spread.
History’s greatest and most effective activists, like Martin Luther King Jr and Dorothy Day, turned their anger into steely determination based on prayer and peace.
Anger often turns people away from your cause.
We need to place our hopes in eternal truths:
- Christ is our King, not a political group, political faction, or any nation.
- Faith and love, not anger will unite our country.
Father Len’s tips for calming anger:
- Breathe deeply through your nose.
- Pray
- Place the source of your anger in a world 10 years from now and try to imagine if it will really be the big deal or emergency you think it is now.
- Stop or limit your “doom scrolling” (constantly checking the news for stories that will trigger your anger and anxiety)
- Focus on an upcoming joyful event in your life.
Father Len introduces his “St. Jolly Project” to add more fun and joy to life.
It’s the little things in life that make a real difference. Like a song that suddenly puts you in a good mood.
Prayer to Fast from Incivility

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:37 — 18.0MB)

Father Len and Irish grapple with the difficulty of having a spiritual, moral, and meaningful conversation about the slogan “black lives matter.”

Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

Father Len explains why he is reticent to make statements about political slogans.
It’s cowardice for religious leaders not to lead and speak out about spiritual and moral issues.
People have to come to the truth by themselves, but religious leaders can and should help lead them there.
“We are generally the better persuaded by the reasons we discover ourselves than by those given to us by others.” – Blaise Pascal
We have become so politically rigid, polarized, and hell-bent on winning in the United States that the search for truth gets lost.
There are good people and evil people. The line between good and evil cuts through every human heart.
Father Len is reading “Black like Me” by John Howard Griffin to become more compassionate and feel the pain and suffering that can come from discrimination and being a minority.

Wrestling with God Show

Two fun-loving and God-fearing Irishmen, a Catholic priest and his good friend, grapple with the big questions about faith, religion, and life.

Tag Archives: Politics

Ep36 Anger and Fear Are Not the Answer to Loss and Disappointment

Ep18 Politics, Religion and the Slogan “Black Lives Matter”