Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts

Transcript

"And God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and the despised of the world, those who count for nothing."

Welcome back to Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts. Today is February 1st, 2026, the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today is a special Sunday episode of Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts, as we are joined by both Dr. Gerry Crete and Dr. Peter Malinoski, the co-founders of Souls and Hearts. They will be offering a joint reflection on today's readings.

Well, it is so good to be here together, Dr. Gerry, Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time. We are back behind our microphones and about to kind of get into what is in these readings from this Mass for the exiles out there.

Well, Peter, these readings are pretty much written for the exile exclusively. But primarily we're talking about the Beatitudes. So what a beautiful message. I mean, what does it mean to be poor in spirit? What does it mean to mourn, to be meek? You know, these are the parts of our system that are persecuted, really speaking directly to our exiles. Maybe some of our other protectors, too, that experience these things. But I think there's a special call here. Christ is saying, I am not here for everyone who thinks they're already righteous, already perfect, and already got their act together. No. I came to bring the exiles out of exile and to actually comfort them. And he blesses them. So this is beautiful.

Well. And you're right. I mean, every single reading here, First Reading, Second Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Gospel, it's just chock full of things for exiles. And I just, I was really struck by this passage from First Corinthians 1, "And God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and the despised of the world, those who count for nothing." And again, it's not that I'm looking for exiles to shame the managers that kind of persecuted them. But like God chose the weak, chose the despised of the world. And you can kind of look at so many people's systems as microcosms of, not so much the heavenly kingdom, but the world. You know, the way that it's kind of set up, what's valued there. And so, yeah, the lowly, the despised, that these attract God's attention. And you see it in the Responsorial Psalm too. "The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed." If you want, like in a single adjective, to describe an exile I think of like oppressed or suppressed, right? "Gives food to the hungry, sets captives free, give sight to the blind, raises up those who are bowed down." Why are parts, why are people, why are parts bowed down? Well, generally because of burdens. Right?

So yeah, I mean, I think it's such a call to conscience. I think it's a call to conscience for ourselves and to understand why would we persecute parts of ourselves. Why? But we also need to look at our world around us. Why? And who are we persecuting in the world around us? Do we look down upon? What are we uncomfortable with? What do we wish we weren't? Who do we see that we don't want to be? And usually that's who we persecute externally. But it's also who we persecute internally.

Internally. Yeah, yeah, if you want to know who you dislike, which parts of you you dislike in yourself, look at the parts you dislike in others. You know, like there's going to be a parallel there. And I think you're absolutely right. I think this is a clarion call to appreciate our exiles, in addition to a clarion call to appreciating, you know, others in our culture that are poor, that are oppressed, that are struggling in various ways. But yeah, to recognize the exiles for who they are. And so I would say this is yes, definitely. These passages are for our exiles. But I also think they're a call to our protectors, our managers and our firefighters to also recognize who our exiles are. Because, you know, in my experience, this is in my own system and in working with being able to accompany so many others, the protectors do not know the exiles. They do not really understand the exiles. They do not see the exiles as fearfully and wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God. They do not see them as you know, part of being a beloved little son or daughter of God. They're afraid of them. They're afraid of the burdens. And so the perspectives get very distorted.

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think that we have a tendency in society to demonize people for some reason or another. And if we actually met someone that we demonized, if we actually saw them, if we got to know their story, if we actually understood their life and what their struggles and burdens were, we would have a different perspective. But when they're far away from us, hey, it could be a political thing or a social thing or whatever it is. We don't have to actually, like, face the reality that this is another human, this is another person. So it's easy to, like, make them a scapegoat. But when we face them, when we meet them, our eyes open. And I think the same happens sometimes with our exiles. Those protector parts you mentioned, they've decided that the exiles are useless or the exiles are a heavy burden. Or the exiles, you know, need to be gotten rid of. And we don't want to look at them for some reason. But I've found, you know, in working with people whenever they actually do, you know, kind of open that window and open that door and actually see, connect with, notice, really sit with the exile, the protectors that were harsh and dismissive and really rejecting of the exiles, they often break down in tears.

Yeah. And like it's, I never knew. I had no idea as often what I'm hearing. I had no idea. And so I think a lot of the evil that happens inside is not done out of malice, but done out of fear and ignorance. I really think so. And I think that ignorance, so much of it is vincible. In other words, if we were to think in terms of parts and systems, in terms of exiles, in terms of managers and firefighters. If we were to be really deliberate about having a big, open heart towards parts, to knowing that parts are not their burdens, whether those burdens are your shame or anger or whether the burden is an extreme role, you know, extreme protector role. Like if we can slow down and if we can trust that there is an innermost self that can lead and guide the system. And if we really believe that God is who he says he is, you know, man, there's doors that can open and we can connect with parts that are walking in this darkness and walking in the gloom.

Yeah. Yeah. Our innermost self connecting with its Christ-like role. And like Jesus, the inmost self, looks, you know, explores, discovers all the parts and is especially looking for the ones who are in mourning, who need comforting or that are meek or, you know, all the qualities, all the adjectives being used here in the Beatitudes. I mean, that's his mission. And when we participate in that, we are really participating in God's call and God's call to create this kingdom of love. It's beautiful.

And I love that final note you sounded on love, because that's what this is all about. That's what we are really trying to offer here in this podcast, is a way for every part to be able to take in love and to participate in loving as well.

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.

Let's draw this to a close by invoking our patroness and our patrons. Our Lady, our Mother, Untier of Knots, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.