Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts

Transcript

"Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart. For I am gracious and merciful."

Welcome back to Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts. Today is March 10th, 2026, Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent. Today's guest presenter is Dr. John Bruchalski, an OB/GYN based in Northern Virginia and the author of the book Two Patients with Ignatius Press.

The reflection today comes from the verse before the gospel, where the prophet Joel says in chapter two, verses 12 and 13, "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful." Are you feeling encouraged or discouraged by the prophet's words in this verse today? It's okay and understandable to have these normal human reactions to one of the most important lines from Scripture. During this season of Lent, knowing their importance and anticipating this polarization and recognizing the diversity within you. The church today gives us a shortened, seemingly highlighted CliffsNotes version of that longer version we heard, but maybe not deeply listened to from that first reading we heard on Ash Wednesday almost three weeks ago today. Even now means you still have plenty of time to go inward. You have time to be curious and compassionate, to befriend and connect with your inner outcasts and their stories. Patience with yourself by understanding all your parts is a hallmark of knowing yourself. And this is so important in human formation, the formation we need to have spiritual formation. Know there is time now to get to know these hurting inner children, because the Lord has the time also with your whole heart means that the bodily reactions you feel right now are trailheads leading to your parts, including your inner outcasts. Thus, it's an opportunity to have your innermost self listen to your outcasts, calmly and curiously, to their whole full story of what happened to them so long ago, done in a compassionate way to why these outcasts hurt as they do, suffer as they do cry out and desperately want to break out from their exile into freedom as they do.

Compassionate listening means to hear from all your parts with the heart of your innermost self and suffer with them, meaning to be with them without judging, without an agenda, to fix those wounded parts and come to know and see and hear and hold them as only your innermost self can do. The hearts of each of your inner outcasts are so important and valued because they bear your childhood wounds. And lastly, gracious and merciful means that when you can be with your inner outcasts in this way, curiously and calmly and connected with compassion, you begin to help create a space within yourself and with each of your parts where the love and mercy and graciousness of God can work within each of those parts. This Lent, human formation work cooperates with Abba to give him the space to be with your inner wounded children that bear the pain that we so often do not want to return to the Lord's gaze. Be encouraged now. Be wholehearted and whole-parted and whole self. Now be gracious and merciful with your inner outcasts even now.

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 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.