Letting Go of Self-Sufficiency - 4th Sun of Advent - Episode 4
Dr. Peter and Dr. Gerry encourage us to let go of our self-sufficiency tendencies in order to truly belong to God and be better able to accept His help. They also talk about needing to identify the psychological obstacles to obeying God.
Overall Takeaways
Dr. Gerry: We need to let go of self-sufficiency to experience belonging and receive God’s help.
Dr. Peter: We need to identify the obstacles that keep us from being psychological ready to obey God.
Key Verses from Sunday Mass Readings
“The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"”
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"”
“Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.”
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.”
“When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.”
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.”
Where Catholicism Meets Psychology
- We are called to belong to Jesus Christ, but we often rely on ourselves and the world to do it alone.
- An inordinate level of self-sufficiency leads to isolation from God and others.
- God speaks directly to both Ahaz and Joseph this week. Ahaz puts his trust in the Assyrians, not in God. In contrast, Joseph obeys immediately.
- Why? Joseph was psychologically and spiritually ready when God called him.
- Look at all the Christmas decorations and see them as signs of Our Lord’s coming.
Action Items:
Recognize the negative effects of self-sufficiency.
Open yourself to God and others in the spirit of hope.
See the signs of Jesus’ coming in all the Christmas decorations and activities.
Go in front of the Blessed Sacrament and ask: “What is getting in the way of me being psychological ready to obey you, Lord?” Don’t figure it out on your own. Listen for that answer; it might come right away or later. Be open to that answer.