Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts

Transcript

Speaker 1: Thus says the Lord God. Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves. Should not shepherds rather pasture sheep? You have fed off their milk, worn their wool, and slaughtered the fatlings. But the sheep you have not pastured.

Speaker 2: You are listening to Scripture for your inner outcasts. It's August 19th, 2026, Wednesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time. Today we're joined by Pam Malinowski, the integrator at Souls and Hearts.

Speaker 1: Thus says the Lord God. Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves. Should not shepherds, rather pasture sheep? You have fed off their milk, worn their wool, and slaughtered the fatlings. But the sheep you have not pastured. You did not strengthen the weak, nor heal the sick, nor bind up the injured. You did not bring back the strayed, nor seek the lost. You lorded it over them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered for a lack of a shepherd, and became food for the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered and wandered all over the mountains and high hills. My sheep were scattered over the whole earth, with no one to look after them or to search for them. When I reflected on today's first reading, I actually envisioned my own system. When it's in disarray at the time of this recording, my family is preparing for my daughter's wedding. My spiritual director warned me that weddings have a way of bringing up lots of stuff that's really unrelated to the wedding itself, but instead related to all sorts of things from the past. My house is full right now of people and of activities. There's lots to do and lots of emotions of everyone wrapped up in what needs to be done. Over the past several weeks, we've had our share of disagreements, conflicts, and full on fighting. When that happens around me, my exiles tend to get very triggered. My abandoned exile worries that if not everyone is happy, they will all leave forever. My fearful exile. As she watches both my parents and Doctor Peter's parents age, worries that she will be alone and not have anyone to care for her some day.

Speaker 1: My shame bearer looks at my house and my homestead. That feels like it's in complete disarray right now and equates it with my self-worth. She is especially worried about what my mother and mother in law would think if they saw my unkempt home, soon to be full of poor college students, in addition to my family and my shame bearer. Exile is worried. Even though my mother and my mother in law will most likely go between the church and the hotel, never even coming to my house, all these exiles and my firefighters that protect them are the scattered sheep in today's reading. Running this way and that. Frantically doing A, B and C, crying and yelling and stressed with no shepherd to gather them, or no innermost self to lead and guide them. I know that doesn't work and that's not sustainable. But even after nearly five years of doing this work, I still struggle sometimes, especially when big things like weddings happen. I need to once again step back, stop, reclaim some self energy in finding the calm. Compassion. Curiosity, clarity and connectedness within myself. I need to listen to my exiles, hear their fears, remind them of things like, mom probably won't come here and that things really are under control. I need to appreciate the parts of my children that are working hard to protect them, and try to interact with them from a self led place. I need to act as my shepherd to my entire system, bringing them back together, helping my parts see the bigger picture and giving them the guidance they need to work together in greater harmony.

Speaker 2: As today's episode had a lot to do with marriage and family. For more on that, you might consider checking out our sister podcast, which is called Interior Integration for Catholics. A recent episode, episode 185, is titled What is Flourishing Defining the Good Marriage and the Good Family.

Speaker 1: Let's end with our invocations. Our Lady Untier of knots. Pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist pray for us.