243 Jesus is Your Truest Friend

Transcript Speaker 1: I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit that will remain. Speaker 2: Welcome back to Scripture for your inner outcasts. It's May 8th, 2020 sixth Friday of the fifth week of Easter. Today we are joined by Peter Evans, a wife and mother and the founder of Essentia Life Center, a pregnancy resource center in Albury, Australia. Speaker 1: A reading from John 1515. I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit that will remain today. With your permission, I would like to speak directly to those parts in exile, enslaved or struggling to break free from addiction or feeling trapped in unfriendly territory. What began as a comfort, escape or release has somehow become the very thing that holds you captive. Jesus addresses slaves, comparing them to captives held in prisoners of war. You may feel war within yourself. Some parts are held hostage, others align with protectors or firefighters in the hopes of relief, whether by numbing or acting out. Some parts may develop positive feelings towards their captives, a little like Stockholm Syndrome forming bonds with abusers. This reflects an internal system in survival mode, parts clinging to one another, seeking control while perceiving small kindnesses amid threats. This is not the fruitfulness that Jesus is calling you to. What drives you back to captivity or holds you there? Is it loneliness, fear, emotional burdens, overworking, disconnection, or abandonment? Into this chaos, Jesus speaks these words I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. What are you, firefighter parts mastered by Jesus is offering you something revolutionary. Speaker 1: Whether the influences of the world, the flesh, or the devil. At the heart is a lie. That is not who you are. Friends offer something different from masters. Friends have mutual affection, trust, and shared vulnerability, fostering self-discovery and growth. A master controls and demands obedience, treating others as subordinates or adversaries. What names have been used against you? Dirty loser. Failure. Addict. Jesus calls you friends. He sees that transformation is possible through friendship and love. Jesus then offers more. I have told you everything I have heard from my father. Jesus is not only a friend, he is the son and our brother through our adoption, making us not only friends, but family, sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. Here lies the key to untying the cords of captivity. The innermost self is there to provide the compassion you need to begin this journey of self discovery. Jesus said that it was not you who chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit that would remain. Mercy is the fruit of trust, and fruitfulness comes from a trusting self system. In Saint Faustina's diary 1059, Jesus says, let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach me. Picture Jesus speaking directly to those parts of us that have been burdened and exiled. Here is our hope, divine mercy, sweet relief for anguish. Hearts I trust in you. Speaker 2: Listeners are invited to learn more about the innermost self, which was mentioned in today's episode by checking out our sister podcast, Interior Integration for Catholics episode 158. Speaker 1: Let us end with our invocations. Our Lady, our mother, Untier of knots. Pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist pray for us.