I went to Mass today and one of the songs had a line where if you surrender to God, you will be protected from all harm. My internal red light started flashing because this simply is not the case. God never promised that we would sail through life without suffering or harm simply by surrendering to his Will. He is not the ultimate "get out of jail" card (Monopoly game reference). Sometimes challenges and suffering are necessary to force us to grow up and refine ourselves. Otherwise, in a spiritual sense, we can become "cough potatoes". So when I come upon sugary lyrics like this at the Mass, I momentarily flinch. God works hard those he loves. He doesn't let them float through life in a cloud of bliss 24 by 7. I think as Americans we think that life is always supposed to be easy and abundant. But this is the result of many decades of commercial promises of the perfect life if we use product X on the radio and TV. We are not here on earth to merely accumulate assets. We are here for spiritual growth! And God is not just another insurance policy against material loss.

I came up with a little prayer to keep the desire for signs away. "Lord, thank you for asking me to live by faith today."

Wow. This is one of the best episodes yet. Thank you Fathers. I'll be listening to this multiple times.

Great discussion. Helped me to understand better the simple suffering of daily life.

I love that father Bonaventure watches old TV shows

i always trust signs at intersections! 😊 Have a great time at the retreat, too !!

As always so clarifying! Chasing after it daily! Thank you!

This is a terrific message.

Wonderful as always but also “A- always room for growth” haha thank you Father’s

"pumpkin spice lattes are too sweet" This is a real problem with coffee drinks, but I do recommend trying a coffee with just cream and (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger). I personally prefer just the cream, but the spice is quite good

I do have a non-Catholic religious friend who expects a sign before changing course in life. He worked for a horrible man for 4 years because he expected a sign from God before finding a new job. I admit it drove me crazy. "Just leave!" I would exclaim. He would respond that God must want him to stay with this horrible boss because he had received no sign. I kept telling him that life doesn't work that way, but to no avail. In a sense, it is a superstitious fear of using your own free will because you might make a mistake.

Thank you so much for making clear these points. Great show.

Thought B16 was an airplane. I love Godsplaining. I went 50's to hippies to balance. For this writer the OPs wisdom work. Thanks

In Matthew 5:48, Lord Jesus tells the disciples, “You must be perfect- just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” St. Josemaría Escrivá said Jesus was “perfectus Deus, perfectus homo.” Catholics should try for perfection. We should want to give God our best, like Abel. Not our worst, like Cain.

Hey Fr. Greg. This is off topic but I thought you said you were doing a podcast on “Confessions” by St. Augustine. I’m at the end of the book and would like to listen now that I’ve read it for new perspectives. What platform are you doing this on??

What about guilt? Neither of you grew up in a Polish Catholic house where you prayed whatever you did was not wrong. And when things went asunder, guilt came.

I’ll be hanged for this comment and I LOVE these priests, all of them … buuuuut Fr. Bonaventure Chapman sometimes you interrupt and mhmm and yes so much and your brother can’t finish a thought, to the point that I find it distracting; especially when listening to audio only. Oh gosh, unleash the hounds. Forgive me.