Welcome to the Become who you Are podcast , a production of the John Paul II Renewal Center . I'm Jack Rigg , your host . Hey , thanks for joining me today . St Catherine of Siena said that if you become who you are , that you would literally set the world on fire .
And St Athanasius , an early church father and a doctor of the church , said the son of God became man so that we might become God . You know I make a wild guess at this , but I bet you , most of us , are a bit disconnected from this divine life that these saints are pointing us to .
Yet Saint John Paul II said there's an echo of the story of this divine life that we're created for , inscribed in each human heart , in your human heart . And if you put on the proper lens , if I put on the proper lens , if I put on the proper lens , we can get in touch with this echo within us in such a way that we have that aha moment .
See , that's the genus of St John Paul II's theology of the body .
It connects our lived experience of life to the gospel in such a way that our life takes on a whole new meaning and helps us answer those big questions that our whole culture is so confused about today meaning and helps us answer those big questions that our whole culture is so confused about today . Who am I ? What's ?
my purpose . Why were we created male and female ? How do I find happiness here on earth ?
How do I find love that satisfies forever . Hey , all the way from Pennsylvania . Linda , good morning . How are you ?
Morning Jack , I'm great . How are you ?
Good , well , I'm glad we have an internet connection . I posted last week and I just put up some random thoughts , posted last week that uh and I and I just put up some random thoughts . It's probably a crazy podcast , I'll probably because I , you know , I couldn't connect with you because of zoom . Uh , we just had an internet issue .
Then later on it came up and then my guest , the next guest that was coming on . I was looking forward to them too and unfortunately they had an emergency in their family and they couldn't make it .
So I just started the banter and I thought it would be a five minute podcast and of course my bantering went on and on and ended up being , I don't know , 40 minutes or whatever . So you know , I have to go back and just see what was on my mind some one of these days , but for now it's good to be with you .
This is audience numbers 94 that John Paul gave on September 15th 1982 . You know , linda , this is a weird time . You know , between all the things going on , consumerism and materialism , the incessant little screens everybody's looking at all day long . It's taken over the minds and hearts of so many . I talk to parents all day . I mean that's what we do .
We talk to parents , we're trying to parents who are trying to help families , talking to parishes the pornography and the constant pictures and different things coming through those little screens . The best thing you can do for kids is get them off of those phones . Don't give it to them .
And you know , I noticed with my wife I've been on her a little bit , linda . You know she's looking at that little screen too much , you know , and I and I she's getting these headaches . And she said to me Jack , I'm getting these headaches every day . I said , well , yeah , because you're looking at that little screen .
But she just didn't want to shut it off . And finally I just said please just shut it off for a little while , take a walk outside . And and what she's done , Linda , over the last year or two with these phones and stuff is this constant noise that at night she can't fall asleep .
I mean , she turns the TV on now and then I got to get up and turn it off because I can't sleep with the TV on , you know . And it's really you know , just constant noise , noise , noise , noise , noise . And I just say turn that thing off , that constant drone . But it takes .
These people are not living in silence , which doesn't allow you to get to the heart , right , and that's really what we're talking about here . We're talking about the beauty of our heart being transformed for Christ and then entering into marriage and families . In this beautiful structure , John Paul gets back to Ephesians one and then .
So these are our life experiences , aren't they ? Linda ?
Yeah , remember that scripture passage where God wasn't found in the noise and the thunder , but he was found in the silence , in the small whisper , and we cannot hear that whisper . Yeah , that was the prophet Elijah , wasn't it ? Elijah , yes .
Elijah wasn't it , and that was in Kings . That's in 2 Kings , chapter 19, . I think . And if it's not 2 Kings , it's in 1 Kings , chapter 19 . But yeah , that's a beautiful passage . He wasn't in the earthquake , he wasn't in the fire , he wasn't in the great wind . And finally , elijah walks out of the cave .
He was hiding in a cave and he walks out and he's looking around for the next sign and there's jesus , there's god I should say right at that point in the tiny whispering sound .
Yeah that's a powerful .
Uh passage . We're gonna have to do a podcast on that one . I love that one , thanks for reminding me sounds good .
Yeah , so in in . Uh . Our audience . It's entitled the Mystery Hidden from Ages , revealed and Active in Christ and , as you know , I spend a fair amount of time reading these audiences and trying to pull from it what is most significant .
You know that , we know how deep it is with John Paul , but I have to tell you about kind of an aha moment that happened to me . Okay , but I have to tell you about kind of an aha moment that happened to me , okay . It was really very strange and it just brought me back to God .
Works in mysterious ways and surprises us , but last Sunday was Father's well whenever our listeners are hearing this . It would be two weeks A couple weeks ago , father's Day and our priest gave a wonderful homily , you know , surrounding fatherhood , and it's always a little bit emotional for me because , well , my dad's been dead for many years now .
But , you know , going back in my own thoughts , I could qualify as one of those with some father wounds as many , many , many of us probably can .
So , you know , I was paying special attention and one of the sad effects for me , I think , is because of don't get me wrong my father loved us and overall things were good , but there were , you know , certain things that could have been a lot better , were good , but there were , you know , certain things that could have been a lot better .
And so I think about how it affects me and my relationship and understanding of God , the Father , and his love for us . So this is kind of my mental , emotional background here . But as part of the homily it all of a sudden jumped out at me like , okay , we all know that we are creatures , god created us and nothing new here , you know .
But all of a sudden it kind of struck me when he talked about you know , we get our bodies from our parents , right , but our soul is created by God . I knew that , I've known it for years . All of a sudden it struck me , jack .
It's like , okay , our bodies are the visible part and the gift to man and woman to be able to procreate , but we cannot create that soul , and that soul is the invisible part . God creates that soul , and why would he create my soul in particular , if he didn't want me to be created ? He wanted me here and he loved me into being by creating my soul .
So that really struck me in a new way that I had never thought about it before . And lo and behold , as I'm studying in our audience number 94 , the Pope is bringing out an importance that we must pay attention to , and importance that we must pay attention to for the mystery hidden from God in the ages , a gift eternally destined for man .
Now , wait a minute . All of a sudden something clicked with me . He says that in Christ , god has chosen us before the foundation of the world to be holy and immaculate in his sight , and predestining us to be his adoptive sons through Jesus Christ .
And Jeff , people may think I'm a little nuts here , but it all kind of came together that while the Pope is talking about this wonderful vision and us being predestined to become adopted sons . I always wondered , when we talk about being children of God in my mind , are those who are not yet baptized you know , children of God ? Well , of course they are .
God created their souls , like mine . But here's the key that adopted sons is related to sacrament and to baptism . As he goes on , and it finally all made sense for me that while my parents provided the material for my body , god provided that soul and predestined me for this holiness and this life with him .
And guess where that took me back in my whole ruminating here , our catechism 221 , that God has revealed the mystery of being an eternal exchange of love and destined us to share in that . And so it all fell into place for me that , by virtue of the divinely created soul , I'm predestined to share in that life .
And then I could go through the rest of this audience and say , with that as my foundation , we have a wonderful discussion here on sacrament and mystery , so that makes sense , yeah , oh yeah , sure , it makes sense , and , and so that shows the importance of evangelization , doesn't it ?
You know God , don't forget , uh , why God creates everything good , it's good , and every one of those souls was created good , every one of those souls that God created good , for good and to be with him . He knows that they're not going to make it . He knows that , for whatever reason , they're not going to be with him .
And we're not going to go into the weeds there on this audience , but the reality is it's up to us . You know , can you imagine ? There's going to be a time where we're going to meet our maker , we're going to meet God face to face , right . So we're in this tension right now .
You know , we're in this tension and this is why John Paul always talks about the heart so much , because that's what Jesus does . He wants to meet you in the heart because in time and eternity , you know , in this historical moment that you and I are speaking of , we are already eternal beings , to your point . We were created to be destined with God .
We stand in this boundary between good and evil , between this tension , and we have to proclaim the gospel to people because we're going to be there and God's going to say you know there's many children that should have been here with us , but you didn't take the opportunity to even bring my son's name to those people . What happened , why ?
didn't you ?
do that right , and so that blame is going to be on us . There's going to be people in hell , perhaps you know , and just because we never proclaim the gospel to them , I mean , this is a a big responsibility .
You hear this over and over in scripture and so everything that you're saying there not only you know once , here's what happens , and you see this today over and over , and I had mentioned , uh , you see people becoming christians and really professing it right now .
Um , you know , tucker carlson , you have um Russell Brand coming in , Candace Owens just came into the Catholic Church . Jordan Peterson's wife , tammy , just came into the Catholic Church . Many people are rising up now because they're facing this evil and they have a sense of evil like never before . And those people are speaking about it . And you know why ?
Because once you embrace that , that at that point of your life you see the change that took place in your , in your heart , you're so excited by that change of heart that you get excited and you start telling people and it's almost like you . You know you can't keep it in . It's like jeremiah said you duped me , lord .
You know I , I didn't want to speak about you anymore and the and the desire welled up in my heart . You duped me , you tricked me into speaking again and he said they're plucking my beard and they're spitting at me and I didn't want to do this anymore . Well , that's what happens to Tucker Carlson , russell Brand , candace Owens , tammy Peterson .
They're getting attacked as soon as they , but they can't stop now . So who's stopping ? Who's the ones not doing this ? You know a lot of the older Christians . You know they take it for granted . See , our hearts were changed at one time .
See , I remember very vividly the evil and so I know my heart was changed and you can't stop speaking about it if you're really in contact with that .
So what you described is important , because people need to keep reminding themselves that if you happen to be doing pretty good in the world and doing good and not caught up in this evil , it's because God gave you that gift . You said , yes , but God gave you that gift .
It wasn't because of your work , it was because of what happened on that cross and that crucified and risen Christ has opened that tree of life to us so that we , and risen Christ has has opened that , that that tree of life to us , so that we are not only destined but we reach eternity . But don't forget the people behind us , right ?
Don't forget those , yeah , and like any gift , god gives us that gift . But if , if someone gives me a gift and it just sits in the box with the ribbon on it and I just sit there and look at it . I'm never going to have any result from having been given that gift .
And so we have to accept the gift , we have to open it , which is analogous to me of opening your heart , because you've been given something and now you know that receptivity . I need to receive it and then do something with it .
Yeah , because as Christians , we're called to share those gifts that we've been given .
So that's a great analogy .
And you open up that gift , you open up your heart , and then you have to share that gift Because what you find with God it's different than normal gifts . You know , with normal gifts I'm given a gift and you know , if I give it away I don't have it anymore . But with God it's different . He continually fills you up .
Every time you give something away he fills you with something new , and it's always fresh . And it's , and that's what these new Christians are feeling the freshness of , because they're giving it away . We stopped giving it away you know , and when you stop giving it away , you don't feel this depth of thankfulness . Gratitude , eucharist , right means thankfulness .
Right , so yeah , and the best gifts are when you give it away . I mean even something as simple as being given a bottle of wine . The first thing we want to do is share that with others , you know , not just keep it for ourselves .
Yeah , the best wines I have or sit I . I don't open them until somebody comes over exactly , yeah , you want to say you want to save that . You know , my wife uh just told me she was , she was actually um , uh , she liked this podcast . It was a podcast of somebody that we know .
She had a young doctor on her show , on her podcast , who was a brand new doctor when COVID came out and so he wanted to become an emergency room physician . So he started in his first year of being an actual doctor in an emergency room , right where he wanted to be .
And then COVID came and it was hitting people and they didn't know and everybody was panicking and they were tired and he saw young people some young people dying in the hospital and he nothing . They did seem to be helping . And now he's on the show years later suffering from PTSD , basically right , post-traumatic stress syndrome .
And now he's on the show years later suffering from PTSD , basically right , post-traumatic stress syndrome . And he and she thought it was so good how he's , he's , you know , finding a community . Now he said to to help him over this . You know PTSD and and trying to make sense out of all this right , but what she described to me in , in , in , look at it .
You know your heart , all this right , but what she described to me and look at it . You know your heart goes out right to these young doctors and different things , but they're all trying , they're all sharing their stories with each other and not raising that to the level of God . So they're all seeking man-made solutions .
I go to a man , I go to a man , made you know , solution with a therapist , or or , or , you know I , I go to see my psychiatrist or whatever , but these , you know , unless they connect you .
You know I love AA , right , because at the end , you know , uh , carl Young , a psychiatrist , said , at the end of the day , you have to connect to the spirit , capital S to the spirit . So they don't talk about prayer , they don't talk .
So here's my point those doctors will never figure out what caused that PTSD because , as Dr McCullough and all these doctors , the most published doctors in the world on all these different things , they found out very early how to treat COVID , but these doctors were shut out by the CDC and some different things .
Anyways , my point being , you see , this is a battle between the lies and the falsehoods , between being your heart open to the light and being able to see . Why does Dr Peter McCullough and many other doctors . Why did they see this so early ? And then they were canceled and shut out . So many lives could have been saved .
So many of those doctors in the emergency room , those young doctors , could have got the correct protocols to help people . And here's my last point , that these doctors , the ones that saw this , the stats that came out now show almost all the young people that died , in fact , almost all the people that died period . Almost all of them died in hospitals .
Nobody hardly died at home , and young people did not die at home , uh , unless they had some severe comorbidity . You know something ?
else right , but if they didn't ?
they did not die at home , they died in the hospitals . Why ? you know , the two main reasons .
There are a number of reasons , but the two main reasons were they put them on ventilators and gave them rendesivir instead of giving , and they and they precluded ivermectin , hydrochloroquine , all those types of things that they should have been given , and and other things , some steroids for their lungs to open up their lungs , and but they have a whole protocol that
these , these other doctors that understood this , were getting . At the end of the day , linda , if we don't open our hearts to the spirit , right , even these young doctors are going to be old doctors and they're going to be still suffering from PTSD because they're living in these lies .
Yeah Well , jack , and that speaks to what theology of the body is all about understanding who we are as human persons , and we're not just the physical or the psychological or the social . The spiritual is very much a part of who we are and we have to recognize that .
I remember a priest doing an RCIA class that I was sitting in on was saying about how the church recognizes the value of the medical world , the psychology , sociology , all of the disciplines , and yet the church has the whole picture , the fullness of the human person , with the spiritual , of course , actually being like I started out .
You know , god created that soul . It is utterly important that that whole realm of who we are is taken into account as we're trying to deal with any of this . And how does that happen ? We talked about gift earlier . In paragraph two . Here the Pope says that gift becomes a real part of man Through that acceptance .
We have to accept the gift through faith and then proclaim it and it accomplish um its uh , efficacy through the sacraments , you know . So here we are again . I'm reading this and I'm like this . All is coming together like a giant cross , but not crossword , a puzzle , jigsaw puzzle , where all the pieces are fitting into place .
And so , as Christ is trying to gather us all up with him as the head , the Pope says our analogy with the sacrament of marriage and husband and wife , as Christ loves the church , just all kind of comes together . So you know , the church and its teachings aren't the church , it's the teachings of Christ .
And so here you have , it all coming back to Christ's head and recognizing that is utmost . And all our new Catholics , you know they've recognized it and here they go . You know I was particularly impressed with Candace Owens and her Christ is King effort and she's getting have you read how she's being attacked too ?
It's the demons , it's the children of the wrath are coming out , but go ahead and finish your thought . But but you can see these attacks . This is normal , this is normal . She's experiencing it and I think she's . She's feeling hurt , but she doesn't realize she hasn't been at it maybe long enough . I mean , she's a smart girl , She'll get it .
I hope she finds a good mentor , a good priest . You know she's in the right spot now if she finds a good pastor , and I think she's smart enough to find one , because there's some bad ones out there .
Yeah , yeah , Well , and it's all part to really part and parcel of picking up your cross . She was gifted with , you know , tremendous ability of Well she's brilliant , you know and her ability to express her thoughts and her courage in expressing those thoughts . You know , a lot of us don't have that , we have different gifts .
But so she is being attacked and her cross is very heavy . But you know , she's taken on the challenge as we all need to in our own way .
Yeah , and you know we feel that with the John Paul II Renewal Center , I mean it's there's , there's no doubt . I feel that you know that . That's why I say those Christian Auxilium , christian , christian Auxilium , christian Auxilium I forget how to say the name Auxilium Christianorum , auxilium Christianorum .
Geez , I say these every day but I don't pronounce the name . And what they are is they're for exorcists and for the people that the exorcists are praying for , and yourself and your family and everybody . So it's prayers go out to you , linda , and everybody , supporting our and part of our apostolate and our friends and family .
So it's really asking for protection and that's a real power that comes in that and everybody should . You know you can't just say the auxilium , christian norm prayers without a priest giving you the okay , because you know this is something you can't just start and then miss a day and start and miss it . I mean you have to be let's use the word religious .
You have to be religious at this right and there can be some attacks on you . So you know you can't just play with this stuff . But for people that are praying this and have been given the okay by a priest , they're really , they bring some real blessings . You know , one quick thought while you were describing all of that .
You know , when we're talking about these doctors . You know , in reality , when you really study medicine and my youngest daughter is a doctor and when you study medicine , you see that the body really does much of this . You know we think of doctors as these great healers , and certainly they .
If they know what they're doing , they can help set a bone and put it in place and through modern technology we could see if it's set right and of course that's going to help with the healing .
You know , if you don't put the two bone , if you have a compound fracture , you don't put those two bone ends together , it's going to be very difficult for your body to heal . It may not You'd stay crippled right , but still the body has to heal that bone .
If the body doesn't heal the bone , if I need a kidney transplant and you give me a kidney , my body has to accept or can reject . You know all kinds of things right , it can go on . Well , the soul when you start to talk about the soul , you know you need somebody to help you connect your soul with God .
Sometimes , now , if those psychiatrists and psychologists and stuff , if all they're doing is bringing me to speak out about all these issues that are deep within me . Those can be good things to bring it out into the open .
But unless you make that connection with my soul , my inner life , with God himself , then again it's like you've never made those two bones come together . And if you don't make those two bones come together , it doesn't matter how much a psychologist talks to me .
If I don't really bring the great physician and the spirit healer , the soul healer , then I'm going around with not as a whole person , right .
So this body , soul .
You know Jesus came into the Gospels . He healed the body , but he also said and then go and sin no more . And then when he dies on the cross , he actually gives us the power . Then he takes that body , soul , blood and divinity on himself . It's all united with the divinity already .
So when he pours that out to us , he's given us everything we need to heal right there . But we have to say yes , we have to say yes .
Exactly In paragraph three of this audience , the Pope references that in part , st Paul is speaking already to baptized Christians and he says you know the moral catechesis , if you will that he's talking about us modeling our lives in the spirit of truth and truth being the person of Jesus Christ . So we have it really right there that .
So we have it really right there that , once again , as we've talked many times , that Jesus is our model .
And that's all we have to do is model our lives after his and you know model .
Yes , and model and accept that grace . Accept that grace , In other words . That's the only way we can do it . We need that grace . Yeah , you have to have the grace .
This is the difference , linda , between banter and just words and the actual encounter with Jesus Christ . You know , when we proclaim the gospel , we have to lead them to a person .
You know I could say all kinds of highfalutin words that sound good but at the end of the day if I don't lead you to say yes to Christ , you know that's why I love to have everybody start out every morning , you know , kneeling with our Blessed Mother , and just say your will be done right , and say , jesus , I trust in you , your will be done , have mercy
on me , a sinner . I mean , just do it .
And you know you're always inviting Christ into your heart yeah , you know , at the center of the mystery is Christ , the Pope says , and through him the mystery of divine love is revealed . If we don't get that , we're stuck . And he tells us you must accept it through faith . You accept that gift to be sharers in that mystery through faith .
And without that as our starting point , we're really , I think , on that gerbil wheel and , like you say , we can go to all kinds of counseling and try everything , but until we accept that gift of Christ being the center , it just it'll get us nowhere . Basically .
Yeah , and speaking of the words again , we know we said this already , but John Paul's alluding to the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians and he says , just repeating what you already said . But just , you know , when you repeat the word of Jesus himself and St Paul himself bringing you Christ , something happens right when you open up your heart .
And he says right off the bat spiritual blessings in Christ . Blessed be the God and Father , he says , of our Lord Jesus Christ , who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places , even as he chose us in him before , as you said , Linda , the foundation of the world , that we should be holy and blameless before him .
He destined us , how , In love , to be his sons through Jesus Christ , according to the purpose of his will , to the praise of his glorious grace , will to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved , in the Son , In him , in Jesus , we have redemption through his blood , the forgiveness of our trespasses , according to the richness
of his grace which he lavished on us for he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight . This is the wisdom I was talking about . If those doctors , those young doctors don't open their self up .
This is verse nine , for he has made known to us , in all wisdom and insight , the mystery of his will , according to his purpose , which he set forth in christ as a plan for the fullness of time , to and here it is , to unite all things in him , things in heaven and things on earth .
This gets back to that .
We are eternal beings in history , but we're called to be united with him from this earthly space to this heavenly space that you alluded to in . Catechism number 221 . To one .
Yes , and John Paul made a point in this audience of saying that what he's speaking about here . We need to understand the whole context of Ephesians as a whole , which you just read the opening chapter of . It's absolutely mind-boggling on one level and yet so very simple on another level yes my um , my translation .
You know , I have the little bullet headings in , uh , the whole chapter one where it goes on to say fulfillment through christ and then inheritance through the spirit . I thought you know . Even those bullet headings just kind of summarize what it is we're talking about here .
Yeah , say that again because I want to make a point there . And look at your microphone , because I lose you a little bit if you go off to the side .
Sorry about that I will do that . So in chapter one , my headings include this , going back to the very beginning , the greeting that Paul opens with , then the Father's plan of salvation fulfillment through Christ and inheritance through the Spirit .
So here's , our .
Trinitarian picture here , right Jack .
Yeah , yeah . And so don't forget that grace comes from that act . You know the mystery of evil , the mysterium inequitatus , this mystery of evil that affects the world . Well , it's overcome by the mysterium pietatus , which is the passion , death , resurrection and ascension of our Lord on that cross . So this is the power , this is where it comes from .
This is what you just read . Then the inheritance of that . Remember what Jesus said to the apostles I'm going to the Father . This is after he was spent time with them , after the resurrection . I'm going to the Father , and it's good that I go to the Father .
I'm just paraphrasing right off the top of my head , because if I don't go , the advocate will not be sent to you , the counselor , the Holy Spirit . But when I go and you see the beauty of this Trinitarian love story that you're just talking about , when the son meets the father again .
What happens Proceedings from the father and the son is the Holy Spirit who he gives to us as our inheritance . We become temples of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells on us . This is the excitement that people feel when they proclaim . Like you said , candace , Owens Christ is . King . We lose this if we're not careful .
As Christians , you know , we go through our life and we think , okay , well , we did everything we're supposed to do . No , we're not even close if we're not proclaiming the gospel to people and helping people and mentoring people along .
We're keeping it , that gift , for ourselves , like we said earlier , and the gift was not given to us to keep , it was given to us to give away .
Yes , again , as I was thinking through all the points . So we're rooted in all of Ephesians in this particular audience . And I actually had to go back to 94 in my studies to say what did the Pope say about sacrament and that grace and mystery ? And he said they're not synonymous , but that the mystery remains hidden even after it's revealed .
And I thought , well , what does that mean ? To me it's like so the mystery of Christ and the Holy Spirit , the Trinitarian love , has been revealed and yet it's still a mystery to us . We can't plumb the depths of it really with our understanding . We have to accept it in faith .
But then he says the difference is that the sacrament proclaims and accomplishes the mystery and accomplishes the mystery . And I thought , yeah , now when we study what a sacrament is , it's the visible and efficacious sign of grace . What is grace ? Go back to that . That is , the participation in the divine life , in the life of .
God right , See how it just all flows right back together , and without that grace we're not in that participation of the divine life and we won't have the power .
No , and I , you know , I just did a . I do a podcast for young people , as you know , linda , on Fridays and Saturdays . In there I related the story of Bill W , who was one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous . There was a point in his life he got down on his knees and finally he was a hopeless alcoholic who was dying .
And he got down on his knees and he said you know , if there is a God , this is a good time for you to show up . And God did . And he wrote this in a letter to Carl Jung . We're talking about Carl Jung , you know , and I mean we're talking not about Carl Jung today , but about psychiatrists , psychologists and everything Right .
And it was Carl Jung , again , who I mentioned that said you know , unless you unite , you know , your spirit , right your soul , your spirit , your inner heart , to the spirit , you know , you know to God , then you know it's not going to go anywhere , he said .
Carl Jung said to them , he said and this is a book in search of man's soul I think it was called Modern man in Search of His Soul , which I have on my bookshelf and he said in .
There he goes , I realized , looking back at my practice now he's getting he's in his 70s looking back at his practice , he's trying to be honest , he's trying to say to himself why do people come to me ? And who was really healed ? And it was really a beautiful thing , he said .
I realized that nobody came to me if they had not lost that which man has known for ages and that is the religious outlook on life . And that is the religious outlook on life . And he said no one , not one person , not one of my patients , was ever truly healed . Did it not regain what you're just describing , linda ?
This , not only the religious aspect on life , but the yes , the yes to God . Right , and that's where AA gets that you have to turn your life over to a higher power . Now I'll finish with this . So Bill W gets down on his knees . He said if there's a God , this would be a good time to show up . And a white light flooded that room .
He said it was so bright . And you just said well , how do you describe that ? Well , bill said I can't describe it , but it was just this light . But he said the intensity of the light changed something within me . He said I knew I was changed . Well , how do you really put words to that , linda ? I mean , it was a mystery , he said .
But he said I'm going to describe it as a powerful light . He said I got up off my knees and I knew I was free and I never took another drink .
He went from a hopeless alcoholic almost his whole life .
He's certainly his whole adult life . So many problems he had and he got up , literally got up , and never wanted . He said he never really wanted another drink , he was free from it .
You know , yeah , had a new life .
Maybe saying that he didn't want it was the wrong thing . So if you're suffering from alcohol , yeah , maybe you know . I can't remember all the battles he went through later on , but he was never took another drink is the point yeah , was the serenity prayer written by him , or do you know ?
um I don't remember .
I yeah , I don don't remember if it was written by him or not . I have the big book on AA because I studied it to do a series with a friend of mine who is in AA and it was really good and the big book is really good and it mentions that in there , but I don't remember who the author was .
Yeah , Well , most of us are familiar with it . Right , you know . We're asking for the serenity to accept the things we cannot change , the courage to change things I can , and the wisdom to know the difference . I stumbled across and I didn't write down my source , but someone took that serenity prayer and did a little twist on it and it came out this way .
Why don't you read that ? That would be a good way to end . Why don't you take us into that prayer and let's just say in the name of the Father , Son , Holy Spirit , Amen , and let's end with that prayer .
May God bless you with the wisdom to discern his will , the courage to choose it wisdom to discern his will , the courage to choose it and the strength to carry it out . Beautiful , and that's the prayer we're going to leave people with , and that's the prayer we're going to dwell on today and meditate on .
Linda , it's just such a good way to end and you know , open your heart . You know , just like it says just you know , have the courage to do that . You know you look around at the evil and you don't have to . You know you don't have to stay in this place .
You know you can move out , you can be free from sin and free from , ultimately , from death that lasts forever , just by saying yes , it's a battle here . You know we're living in a battle here .
All right , participate in the sacraments , that will help tremendously .
Yes , hey , god bless you , Linda . Thank you so much . Thanks for your time . Thanks everybody for joining us today . We'll talk to you again soon . And just a quick heads up , we may take a week or two off . You know , we've got Fourth of July coming up . We've got some other things coming up . I'm going to be on the road .
We've got some other things coming up . I'm going to be on the road . This is a good time , linda , to take a little break , maybe even from you know , some technology and some of these things , and really get into prayer . And that's what I would like to do .
I'm not quite there yet , but in another few days I'm going to get there and hopefully head out west a little bit and spend some time in the Rocky Mountains .
So good to be with you , good to be with everybody .
All right , Bye-bye everyone .