Spiritual Dentistry?: On Suffering, Listening and Loving like Jesus

About this Episode

J.D. and Fr. Barry talk about responding to suffering. Why do pain and roadblocks happen in our lives and what should we do when it happens to us?

Fr. Barry emphasizes that priests are also human beings with fallibilities, just like everyone else.

• Eating salad is suggested as a starting point for various life challenges.
• Dental professionals face challenges when communicating with patients due to various dental appliances in their mouths.
• Some dentists and hygienists are skilled at understanding patients despite these obstacles.

Effective Listening and Understanding

• Dentists' skill in understanding patients' unspoken wishes can be applied to various fields, including priesthood.
• Effective listening is crucial for priests to comprehend confessions and help individuals discern God's messages.
• Spiritual guidance involves identifying and addressing underlying issues that cause suffering.

Redemptive suffering.

• Redemptive suffering involves going through difficult experiences for ultimate benefit.
• Priests face the challenge of finding relatable examples for the faithful.

God's Role in Our Lives

• God uses everything to bring about our greatest good.
• Suffering, both great and small, is a part of life.
• We should always be in conversation with God about everything.

Easter Reflection on Relationship with God

• Easter is a time to reflect on our relationship with God.
• We should allow ourselves to be loved by God and love Him in return.
• It can be challenging to maintain a close relationship with God, but it is important to remember that He cares about every aspect of our lives.

Understanding Love

• Love is not just an emotion, but can be a part of it.
• Love is a complex concept that is difficult to understand.
• Catholic understanding of love is not directly 100% an emotion.

Guardian Angels and Their Role

• Guardian angels help people get to heaven.
• They organize life in a way that leads to heaven.
• Sayings like 'offer it up' should be understood in context.

Redemptive Suffering and Comfort

• Redemptive suffering involves offering up one's suffering to God.
• The phrase 'offer it up' may not always be comforting to those who are suffering.
• St. Thomas Aquinas said that whatever is received is received in the mode of the receiver.

Offering Up in Grief

• Discussing the concept of offering up one's suffering in times of grief.
• Using a hypothetical example of someone in pain from joint pain.
• Encouraging the person to offer up their suffering with a smile.

God's Presence in Suffering

• God is always present in every moment and circumstance of our lives.
• He desires to cherish our dignity and wants us to participate in His work.
• We can offer our suffering as a gift and prayer for a particular intention.

God's Work and Scripture Interpretation

• Prayer can be for family, church, or personal intentions.
• Suffering can be a way to participate in God's work.
• Some scriptures, like the one about making up for Christ's sacrifice, can be challenging to understand.

Seeking Guidance from Scriptures during Difficult Times

• Discussion about the challenges of providing comforting words during difficult times.
• Importance of listening and understanding the significance of empathy.
• Exploration of relevant scripture passages that address suffering and resilience.

Christian Perspective on Suffering and Charity

• Christians do not seek suffering but accept it when it comes.
• Establish schools, orphanages, and charities to help people flourish.
• Acknowledge and address suffering as a part of life.

Suffering and God's Love

• Suffering is a mystery, even for those who have faith.
• God loves us, but suffering still exists.
• Seeking understanding through scripture and images.

God's Love and Our Response

• God's love for us should be met with a response of love from us.
• Our relationship with God is always a response to His love.
• We should never take credit for initiating love, as God loved us first.

God's Love Expressed Through Jesus

• God's love is beyond words, so he sent Jesus to be with us.
• Jesus showed us what we couldn't understand through his presence.
• God's answer to our prayers is always himself, sometimes in unexpected ways.

God's Presence and Compassion

• God's response to questions may not be explicit, but His presence is always with us.
• The church addresses suffering through practical actions like establishing schools and hospitals, while also providing emotional support.
• Participating in God's work involves both alleviating suffering and offering companionship to those in need.

Suffering as an Invitation to Turn to God

• Suffering can be an invitation to turn to God.
• God uses suffering to bring good things into our lives.
• We should remember that God is with us in our suffering and that His will is being done.

God's Love and Jesus' Revelation

• God is a loving father, as evidenced by Jesus' life and teachings.
• Jesus reveals the Father's love to humanity.
• Remembering God's goodness can help us cope with suffering.

Jesus' Passion and Unity with God's Will

• Jesus' passion reveals his unity with God the Father's will.
• He prays in the upper room, expressing his desire to fulfill the Father's plan.
• In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus accepts the Father's will despite his human suffering.

Suffering and Divine Plan

• Suffering is part of God's plan for salvation.
• Jesus' suffering on the cross is an example of this.
• Jesus' words on the cross show that he trusted in God's plan.

God's Will and the Power of Commendation

• Jesus teaches that even in difficult times, we should commend ourselves to God.
• During Easter, we should reflect on suffering and recognize God's work in our lives.
• God's ultimate plan is for our good, as seen in the 'endgame' of stories like Marvel's Avengers.

God's Plan for Victory

• God has a plan for victory, even when choices seem ridiculous or contrary to one's mission.
• Sacrifices are necessary to achieve the final victory.
• God uses everything in our lives, including death, to bring us closer to Him.

Faith and Doubt

• Losses are not the end but means to an increase in faith.
• Doubt arises during suffering, leading to questioning God's presence.
• Saint John the Baptist's example of faith despite imprisonment is highlighted.

John the Baptist's Doubt and Suffering

• John the Baptist, despite proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, expressed doubt while in prison.
• Jesus' disciples conveyed news of miracles and good news to John during his imprisonment.
• John's moments of doubt are recorded in scriptures as a reminder that suffering and doubt can coexist.

Church as a Sanctuary for the Imperfect

• The church is often seen as a ship carrying people to their destination.
• Pope Francis emphasizes the church as a field hospital for those struggling.
• The church is not a meeting room for the perfect, but a place for the imperfect to find solace.

Church as a Place for Doubt and Hope

• Church is for people who doubt during suffering.
• God is a good father who desires to give good things to us.
• God does not compare or despair his children.

Recognizing the Voice of God

• To recognize God's voice, we must spend time with Him.
• The examined prayer, a method from Saint Ignatius of Yola, helps us examine our conscience and track God's work in our lives.
• This prayerful practice allows us to discern God's voice amidst distractions.

A Simple Way to Examine Conscience

• A Franciscan friar, Mark Mary Ames, introduces a simple method called the 3/5 examine for self-reflection.
• The method involves expressing gratitude for five graces received, acknowledging five missed opportunities or shortcomings, and identifying five areas where divine assistance is sought.
• This practice encourages introspection and a deeper connection with God.

Recognizing God's Work

• Regular conversations with God help recognize His actions.
• God's work may be subtle or through missed opportunities.
• Recognizing God's fingerprints leads to growth in faith.

God's Love and Self-Knowledge

• God's love is personal and evident in both small and large ways.
• The practice of examination is common among priests and religious individuals for self-knowledge and spiritual growth.
• Request for a closing prayer.

Prayer for Divine Guidance and Understanding

• Prayer expressing gratitude for God's love and mercy.
• Seeking recognition of God's love and mercy in various forms.
• Requesting guidance and learning from imperfect attempts to love God and others.

Father Mark Mary Ames Video : https://youtu.be/FUcoHAqOFRs?si=XaChOLjVYSz0UF7z

Episode Links

• Father Mark Mary : Easy Way to Do a Daily Examen